Small Favors
by ingrid-matthews
Summary: UPDATED 0407 with Soul Archeology A Future Small Favors Tale
1. The Gift

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SMALL FAVORS by ingrid

~*~

He'd only slept with her twice, maybe three times. It was during his last trip to Chicago and Lex didn't even remember her name, until he received the call from his lawyer at eight o'clock one winter's morning.

"Jeanette Reeves. R-E- "

Annoyed, Lex cut him off. "I know how to spell Reeves, Tom. What is this about?" 

"It's about her claim that you're the father of her newborn child," the lawyer rejoined calmly.

Oh, great. Here they went again. 

"Give me her phone number," Lex said through clenched teeth. Paternity suits were nothing new. All of them had been false so far, but he had gotten slightly careless in the past year and since his lawyer had a standing order not to call him unless the claim had been verified 

Damn it to hell.

Still, he had some powers of persuasion left. All he'd have to do was call Miss Reeves and explain to her slowly and carefully why she would be so much better off with a lump sum and no contact, rather than expose herself to a lifestyle he wouldn't condemn a dog to, let alone an innocent woman and baby. 

"Sorry, Mr. Luthor. No can do."

"Why? Is she in hiding? If that's the case "

"She's dead."

Silence, as Lex held the phone to his ear and stared off into space, shocked. "Dead?"

"Died shortly after childbirth. Cardiac arrest, caused by a genetic heart defect. But not before she named you as the father on the birth certificate."

"Jesus " Lex breathed. He fell back against his chair, eyes closed. "Jesus Christ."

"As per your standing instructions, the DNA tests were performed shortly after the claim was made known to us. We have them and they're a match. You're a father, Mr. Luthor."

Lex didn't open his eyes. He just listened as the blood pounded through his ears. "Boy or girl?"

"Girl. She's eight weeks now, in the custody of a friend of mine who works for Social Services. She's healthy and quite cute actually."

"You've seen her." There was something wrong about his lawyer seeing his daughter before he did, but Lex wasn't going to examine that too closely. He had other problems that were more pressing at the moment.

Much more pressing. "Did the woman give her a name?"

"It says Olivia Luthor on the birth certificate but that can be changed."

Olivia. Lex didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "All right," he said. "Bring her to the mansion. Take the helicopter and be here with her as soon as possible."

"Are you sure? Once you see her it's going to be hard to do anything besides keep her."

"I'm not quite that sentimental, Tom," Lex snapped. "I'll do whatever needs to be done, regardless. Just bring her here."

"Sure thing. I'll have our secretaries arrange it. Um, you don't have anything resembling a crib on the premises, do you?"

He was alternating between breathing hard and hardly breathing. "Why the hell would I own anything like that?"

"Just asking. I'll bring a portable one, but you're going to have to outfit a room fast if you plan on keeping her."

"I didn't say I was planning on keeping anything," Lex said impatiently. "I just want to see her."

"Right," the lawyer drawled, turning a one-syllable word into two. He laughed, making Lex want to fire him on the spot but he ignored the urge. "We'll be there within the next couple of hours."

"Just do it." Lex snapped the phone shut, got up and let the pacing begin.

It was a hell of a way to start the day.

~*~

Two hours later, Lex was still pacing through his study, his hands trembling. 

A father. He was a father and he stopped only to stare at the incomprehensibly tiny, squirming, red-faced bundle held in the social worker's arms as his lawyer prattled on about payoffs and trust funds and all sorts of things Lex couldn't even begin to absorb.

Because he was frightened. No, terrified was more like it. As a matter of fact, Lex Luthor had never been more terrified of any living creature in his entire life as he was of this dribbling little baby. 

It was surreal.

He pointed at the bundle, finger shaking. "That's she's "

His lawyer stopped babbling, then nodded to the social worker, who offered the baby to Lex. "Do you want to hold her?"

Lex shook his head quickly, hands held out in front of him, as in self-defense. "No, no, no " he rambled, nearly tripping in his haste to back away. "That's quite all right."

His lawyer turned to the social worker. "Sheila, there are bedrooms upstairs. Think you can manage the crib and put the baby down for a little while?"

"Sure," she replied, with a vaguely pitying glance at Lex, who cringed beneath her scrutiny. "I'll keep an eye on her."

As soon as she and the baby were gone, Lex fairly ran to the bar and poured out a huge glass of Scotch. He drained it in a single gulp. Then poured another.

"There's always adoption," the lawyer hedged, after a long, uncomfortable silence.

"Adoption?" Lex sucked down the choking glassful. "Yes, that's a wonderful idea."

"But I think you should take another look at her before you make up your mind either way," the lawyer said carefully. "Just one little look. It won't hurt."

Lex stared at him, then nodded in agreement. He ascended the staircase slowly, very much like a man walking his last mile and stopped just outside of the makeshift nursery, hesitating to go inside, lost in thought.

No, he couldn't do it. He couldn't keep her. It wouldn't be fair or smart or right for either one of them. 

He had an empire to create and run. She deserved a happy life. She was just a _baby,_ for God's sake and whatever anyone might think or say about him, he wasn't going to condemn an infant to a miserable life as a Luthor, in _this_ house, with _his_ father lurking and plotting and 

The social worker smiled as he edged his way inside. "Don't be afraid," she said kindly, motioning for him to hold out his arms. "They're a lot tougher than they look. Just keep her head supported and she'll be fine."

Ever so gingerly, he took the baby in his arms and the social worker slipped from the room. 

Lex examined his daughter closely. Her eyes were very blue, and might stay that color now that she was almost two months old, or so he'd read somewhere. He slowly lowered himself into a nearby chair, his arms locked hard into a quivering "V".

He was shaking everywhere. The baby stared at him, eyes wide with curiosity. 

He couldn't stop staring into those eyes. So familiar, so like his mother's and if he looked at them from another angle, they were very much like his own. 

She sneezed and it was a tiny kittenish squeak. 

He had to smile and tugged up a bit of the blanket to wipe off her nose and mouth. "God bless you."

She yawned, then squirmed until comfort was found in the slowly relaxing embrace. Lex watched as she fell asleep, looking every bit as if she were exactly where she was meant to be -- nestled safely in her father's arms.

He promptly forgot everything he'd ever wanted to do.

There was nothing else to do.

He could only hold her. And stare. And think.

And stare at her some more.

An hour later, he summoned the lawyer upstairs. "I'm keeping her," he said matter-of-factly, gently placing the baby back in the crib. "Draw up the necessary paperwork and get a hold of my estate planners for a meeting on Monday. I want this to be fast, complete and inviolable."

"Yes, sir," the lawyer said. "And Mr. Luthor?"

"Yes?"

"Congratulations."

Lex glanced at the man. He thought for a moment before responding. "Thanks. And, Tom?"

"Yeah?"

"I want to add a middle name."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Hope," Lex said, staring at the crib and the tiny life fast asleep inside of it. "Her middle name is Hope."

The lawyer smiled. "You got it." He chuckled. "She's a pretty little girl. You're a lucky man, Mr. Luthor. Lucky in every way now."

Lex grinned, just a little, before opening his phone and dialing his decorating team in Metropolis. 

He had a nursery to build. For his brand-new daughter.

~*~

The first nanny Lex hired was a very young, very slender girl from Belgium, highly recommended by one of the LuthorCorp board members and it only took about an hour to realize why she'd been so recommended when Lex found her in his bed stark naked and sucking on a large, red lollipop.

When he asked where his daughter was, she shrugged and tried again to entice him to join her in the sack and forget about the baby that was less than a dozen feet away in the adjoining room.

She was thrown, quite literally, out the front door.

The next one, hired from the best agency in Metropolis, trooped in an hour later and at mid-afternoon, Lex peered into the nursery to find her smacking his daughter's cheeks, hard, in an effort to make her drink her bottle at a more efficient pace.

Lex then felt would could only be described as an interesting rush of rage and snatched his daughter into his arms before having the security guards take care of the newly hired, now ex-nanny, since he didn't trust himself to do it. 

Because he was going to hurt the woman badly.

Instead, he held Livvie and rocked her while whispering horrendous threats to the childcare agency over his cell phone. If they didn't send over a sane nanny via the LuthorCorp helicopter within the next forty-five minutes 

Two hours passed and still no one arrived. Lex began to panic, especially when Livvie started crying for no apparent reason, with little gulping sobs that tore his heart in half. 

"Shhhhh," he said, nervously pacing the floor of his office while patting her back and jiggling her up and down, which made her cry even harder. "It's okay, sweetie. Daddy's here."

No response except for louder, more breathless, screams.

He was about to call 911 when the study door opened and a familiar face peeked past the jamb. "Hey, Lex. Are you busy? I just wanted to get a look at the baby and "

Lex nearly passed out with relief. At least he had company in his misery. "Look, sweetheart. Look who it is." He quickly bundled Livvie into the crook of his arm and pointed her toward Clark's surprised face. "It's our buddy, Clark.

Miraculously, the crying suddenly stopped and Livvie stared at Clark through wet, runny eyes, reaching out with a gluey hand toward Clark's nose.

"Wow." Clark breathed. "Lex she's " He broke into a huge smile. "She's fantastic."

A rush of pride like none Lex had ever felt before filled his chest. It was fierce and pure and extraordinarily powerful. "Thanks." He beamed down at his daughter, wiping her tears away with the corner of his sleeve. "She's really something, huh?"

"Amazing. And she looks so much like you."

"Yeah, but she won't be bald forever, I hope." Lex kissed the powder-scented forehead. She was so amazing, yes. She was everything good and pure and pretty in the world. She was his best baby, his princess, his favorite girl, his hope and life and 

Lex blinked at the unexpected wave of emotion. God, what was happening to him? He had no idea, but whatever it was 

It was wonderful.

Clark made a face. "That's not what I meant. She has your eyes and the shape of your face -- she's really beautiful."

"Why Clark, you flatterer, you," Lex purred and Livvie made a pleased noise as well. He touched his nose to the baby's. "I think we should keep Clark around, don't you agree, honey?"

Clark flushed deeply. "Oh, shut up. So, what's her name?"

"Olivia Hope Luthor. Livvie for short."

"Livvie Luthor." Clark chuckled. "Boy, that's a big surprise. Think they'll run out of 'L' names by the time you're a grandfather?"

"Hush." Lex tucked his daughter back into her carrier and snapped the restraints shut. Looked around for a toy and found a stuffed purple bear on top of his computer monitor. He handed it to her before tumbling back into his leather chair with a sigh of relief. "Glad you showed up. I was just about to panic."

"Just about to? You looked like you'd passed panic and was headed straight toward total hysterics."

Lex frowned. "I had everything under complete control."

"Uh, huh," Clark said, not looking at all convinced as the study door opened and Lex's security manager ushered in a stout middle-aged woman with a pleasant, if strained, smile.

She clutched her purse tightly to her middle and smiled even harder. "Mr. Luthor, I'm from the nanny service."

Lex quickly looked her up and down. "Yes, Miss 

"Mrs. Atkins."

"Mrs. Atkins, thank you for coming on such short notice. As for your assignment, all I want is for my daughter to be safe and content. Do you think you can handle that?"

"Oh, yes, sir. Why for the past twenty years, I used to "

"You're hired," Lex interjected immediately. "Take the baby upstairs and see if she needs changing. Martin will show you to the nursery and get you anything you need from the kitchen." Lex's eyes narrowed. "Please keep in mind that this is my daughter whom I love very much. If you remember that, I'm sure everything else will follow in its proper order. If you ever forget that, which I'm sure you won't, that's when we'll have a problem. Am I making myself clear?" 

The woman nodded and with another nervous smile, picked up Livvie's chair and carried her away, with Clark watching intently. "That was a little harsh, Lex," he said mildly, when they were gone.

"You think?" Lex rubbed his temples, wincing. "She's the third one today, since I had to fire the first two for being dangerously incompetent. I think it's best to lay down the ground rules up front, don't you?"

"I guess, but I wouldn't know," Clark replied sympathetically. He paused. "This is really hard on you, isn't it?"

Lex shook his head. "No, not really. If I had the time to do it myself, it wouldn't be hard at all. It's only hard when I have to entrust her to other people. That's the part I'm not enjoying."

"No kidding." Another huge grin. "Who knew you were such a mama bird at heart?"

Lex grimaced and rubbed his ear. "What did you call me?"

"A mama bird. You know, feeding the chicks, clucking around your brood "

"You're talking a dangerous game here, my friend." Gruff tone, but Lex knew he was smiling. 

"I'm glad to see you're all right with this," Clark said, ignoring the threat. "When you called and told me you had a baby and the mother had died " A pause. "Let's just say, it made me a little nervous."

"You were picturing all sorts of dark drama?" Lex wearily folded, then unfolded, a bit of paper between his fingers. "Truthfully, Clark, I was too. But last night, I spent a good hour just watching her sleep in her crib and I " He searched for the right words. "I realized that I now have something I didn't have before. Both a sanctuary and a reason for being. Not just to live, but a reason to live well. Not only to learn how to rule, but how to serve -- and protect." A short burst of laughter at Clark's grave face. "I'm sorry, Clark. I didn't mean to sound so sanctimonious."

"No, I like what you're saying." Clark leaned forward, with his elbows on Lex's desk. "This is perfect for you in a weird way. I mean, it wouldn't be for a lot of guys your age, but you have the means to be a great single father and enjoy the best parts of it. She's going to bring you a lot of happiness and I think you'll do the same for her."

Lex held up his hand. "I've only had her one day, Clark. There's a lifetime left to go."

"She's lucky to have you," Clark insisted firmly. "And you're lucky to have her. It's a perfect match."

Lex couldn't remember a time he'd ever liked Clark more. He practically had to force the crazy grin from his face. "So, are you going to help me out?" he teased. "You can be Uncle Clarkie."

"Sure. But I'm not changing diapers. No way."

"Then you don't get kisses." Lex rose and stretched with a yawn, cricking his neck to the side, realigning tight muscles with a satisfying pop. 

"She'll give me kisses," Clark said confidently.

"Who's talking about her?" 

"Lex!" Clark tried to look shocked and failed. "Nut," he scoffed, still not sparing Lex the flirty underlash glance in the process.

This single father might get laid some day yet, Lex thought, giddy with happiness and lack of sleep. "Come on, let's go play with baby."

"You should let her sleep," Clark chided.

"Nah. My baby wants me to play with her," Lex said, tugging on Clark's sweater before loping up the side stairs, two at a time. "Us Luthors are a playful sort."

"Riiight," Clark said, as he followed Lex down the hall into the opulently appointed nursery. "Playful is definitely the word I'd use to describe you."

~*~

"So, I hear I have a granddaughter."

Nighttime, and the skin on the back of Lex's neck crawled at the sound of a gravelly, familiar voice filling the hallway. He protectively put his back toward the stairs, where just a single flight up his daughter lay sleeping, put down for the evening. 

He schooled his features to utter impassivity. "Yes, Father. That's correct."

"Well, where is she, Lex? Come now, I only have a few minutes," Lionel said impatiently. "Bring her to me so I can look at your latest folly."

Every nerve in Lex's body bristled, but he maintained the bland façade. "I'm sorry, Father, but she's sleeping."

"Babies are always sleeping, Lex. Have the nurse bring her down."

Lex's voice sharpened. "I said my daughter was sleeping and that's how she'll stay."

Lionel cocked his head to one side. "Are you saying I can't see my own granddaughter?"

A tiny hint of threat in Lionel's tone, and Lex's hands started to itch. He could do it -- if this bastard went near his baby, if he tried to pull _anything_ with her, Lex could see himself doing the unthinkable and no jury would convict him. 

He'd make sure of it.

"Yes," he said hoarsely, his voice just above a whisper. "That's exactly what I'm saying. I don't want you near my child."

"Oh, Lex," Lionel laughed. "Spare us the dramatics. Remind me, what are you harping on this time?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Lionel sighed hugely. "By all means. Let's have it."

"Certainly, Father," Lex obliged coldly. "For all of my adult life, I always thought there was something just a bit off in the way you raised me in the way you treated me. But what did I know? You were all I had after Mother got sick, after I had my accident. So I've accepted you on face value since then, mostly because I had no choice, " Lex said. His jaw tightened. "But no more."

This seemed to be a response Lionel hadn't expected. His expression changed, became more serious. "Lex " 

Lex ignored him. "It took me about a second of looking at my daughter's face to realize I would _die_ before I treated her the way you've treated me. The callousness, the self-absorbed cruelty the disregard. All the things you've done in the name of _teaching_ me, all these so-called lessons in duplicity and revenge -- that was no way to raise a child and I'll be damned if I'll emulate you in the most important task of my life. And I'll be damned if I'll subject my child to even one second of you. You had your chance and you blew it, Dad."

Lionel waved an impatient hand at him. "It'll be different when you realize she's your heir. You'll need my advice then, Lex."

"Livvie's not my heir," Lex said calmly. "She's my daughter. She'll choose her own life and I'm going to be there for every minute of it, both the good and the bad. If she wants to run my kingdom, if she wants to live in a hut and study rocks, if she wants to dress like a princess and dance until dawn for the rest of her life -- that's what she's going to do. And I'm going to love her unconditionally, until the day I die." 

Lionel's infamous composure faltered, but only momentarily. "You're a fool."

Lex laughed heartily. He'd never felt so free. "No, I'm a father. Which is something you'll never be. It takes more than biology, Father, and I'm sorry your own spawn has to be the one to tell you this. It took one cell of you to make me, and frankly, if I could, I'd give it back. Except then, I wouldn't have my little girl. So, I thank you for that and that's all the thanks you're going to get from me. Ever." 

At this, Lionel seemed struck dumb. His mouth moved, but for the first time ever, no words came out.

Lex had effectively silenced him. 

But he wasn't done, not yet. "You're going to be very smart, Dad. You're not going to try and pull off any scheme that involves my daughter, ever. Because the consequences of such an action will be unthinkable. "

This got a response. "What? Are you going to kill me, Lex?" Lionel sneered, his lips curled with disdain. "Hmmm?"

"And he calls me a fool," Lex murmured to no one in particular. "Are there no worse things than death, Father?" he asked softly darkly. "Surely you've taught me as much."

Lionel reeled back a step, eyes wide, as if he'd been slapped. Another stumble, before he regained his composure and strode down the hall and out the front door, without a backward glance.

Lex stood at the bottom of the staircase, his eyes closed, steadying his breathing one heartbeat at a time.

I'll slay dragons for you, my daughter, this being the first, and none that harm shall ever pass the gate that leads to your door. This, I promise.

Tired but content, Lex made his way to the decanter and poured himself the very first victory toast he'd ever truly known.

~*~

"Lex, it's not that cold."

Clark stood in the study, impatiently tapping his foot as Lex added yet another layer to his daughter's already bulky outfit. It was snowing lightly outside and that morning was to be Livvie's first look at the winter wonderland Smallville occasionally turned itself into.

If Lex could ever finish dressing her.

"Maybe not for you," Lex said, wrapping a second scarf over Livvie's snowsuit hood. "But you're not a two-month old, are you?"

"I can't even see her in there," Clark insisted, peering into the carrier. "Are you sure that's not just a pile of baby clothes?"

Lex held up a tiny bare hand and waved it at Clark. "See?" And we've got to cover these little paws up, yes, we do," he cooed at the bundle. He dug through a stylish black shoulder bag and pulled out the world's smallest pair of mittens -- lilac-colored mittens that were made to resemble a small animal, complete with button eyes and knit ears.

Clark squinted. "Okay. Exactly what are those supposed to be?"

Lex examined them critically. "Kittens, I think."

"Kitten mittens?" 

"Yep, kitten mittens. For Daddy's little kitten." Lex slipped them over Livvie's fingers as Clark rolled his eyes. "Picked them out myself," he proclaimed proudly.

"Oh, boy." Clark shook his head, tsk'ing sadly. "Lex I think you've lost it."

Lex slung the improvised Armani baby bag over his shoulder, ready to take on the world. "Actually, Clark, I'd say I've won it." He picked up the carrier and beamed at its precious contents, before tugging Clark along with him to the great outdoors. "Won the biggest and best lottery of them all."

~*~

To be continued in a series ... 


	2. Certain Achievements

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SMALL FAVORS 

Chapter Two: Certain Achievements

~*~

It was shortly after noon on Sunday when Lex crossed his legs Indian-style on his leather chair, tucked Livvie in the crook of his knee and held her bottle with one hand while scrolling through plant projections with the other.

She drank like a fiend, little mouth working frantically at the formula while he clicked and scowled at the laptop screen, unable to believe that two lading mistakes could result in a projected net loss of nearly fifteen-percent.

Something wasn't right.

Lex sat back, thinking and absently turning the bottle, until a furious wail informed him he'd accidentally tugged it out of his daughter's mouth.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he said, quickly putting the bottle back in its proper place. The drinking continued and Lex had to smile at her determined feeding. Another week and she'd probably work her way up to something more solid or so the nanny had informed him.

He would still handle the lunch bottle for as long as she'd have them. This was _their_ time, and while he considered himself very fortunate he didn't handle the night feedings, he still wanted a place in Livvie's schedule.

Even if strange happenings at the plant were determined to distract him.

Happenings that had the mark of one Lionel Luthor.

Lex mused silently until a hollow squeaking noise informed him that Livvie's lunchtime was over.

He pulled the empty bottle away and the screaming began. Livvie had recently decided that she would determine when the bottle was finished no matter how much colic-inducing air would be swallowed in the process. 

"Okay, okay," he said, propping her up on his lap, facing away, with a hand tucked under her chin. He started to pat her back with mild _thumps_. "Sorry, honey," he soothed over the wails and hicoughs. "Shhhh."

"Are you torturing that poor little baby again?" 

Lex didn't have to look up to know it was Clark, ever the comedian, standing in front of his desk and joking about Lex's lack of parenting skills. 

Laugh now, buddy, Lex thought with a wicked grin. When I get you to start changing these diapers 

"You've got to be kidding, Clark. This kid could kick my butt with one finger."

"That's only because she has you wrapped around it," Clark retorted. He shook an armload of brown shopping bags at Lex. "Mom's sent these. Again."

"More?" Lex winced. He repositioned Livvie, who, as usual, stopping screaming the minute she saw Clark and submitted to the rest of her burping with unusual grace.

"Sorry," Clark apologized. "The yarn supply doesn't seem to be going anywhere."

"Oh my," Lex laughed, not missing a beat in his patting. "Okay, let's see what we've got this time."

Martha Kent had taken to making things for Livvie with yarn left over from the days when she'd yearned for her own baby. And while the woman was extremely talented in many, many areas, knitting wasn't one of them.

Definitely not one of them. 

"I think this is a hat," said Clark, retrieving a misshapen bowl-like piece from the bag. It was pink and had pom-poms and scared Lex a whole lot. 

"Yikes." He nodded at the next item. "Okay, what's that?"

"A scarf? No, wait a blanket," Clark replied, holding up the off-beat multicolored panel.

Lex tilted his head to look at it. "Blankets are triangle-shaped?"

"This one is." Clark sighed. "You know, Lex, maybe I should just ditch these instead of bringing them here."

Lex was mortified. "Don't you _dare_, Clark. Your mother's efforts are greatly appreciated." He kissed the top of Livvie's head, still thumping her back. "We love them. They're unique."

"That's one way of putting it. Say, Lex why aren't you doing that over your shoulder?"

As if in response, a projectile of half-digested formula splattered over Lex's carefully cleared-off desk, followed by a deep belch. 

Lex looked up at Clark's astonished face. "Does that answer your question?"

"Jeez," Clark said, gaping. "I didn't know babies could do that."

"It's what they excel at, Clark. You have no idea what they can shoot out of these little bodies. From every orifice too. And true to her heritage, nobody does it better than a Luthor." 

Clark reached under the desk to retrieve the roll of paper towels Lex had taken to keeping there. "Are you saying your baby is the best puker of them all?"

"She's the best _everything_ of them all," Lex replied firmly. Ah, yes, entitlement never felt quite so right. "And it's "spitting up", Clark, not puking. It's not puking until you eat food with color in it," said Lex, cleaning off his desk with a surprising lack of disgust. "Besides, this is nothing. Last week when she was over my shoulder, it slid down my back and went into my pants."

Clark's face screwed up in at least five different directions. "Oh, man."

Lex shrugged. "Live and learn. Now, let's see the rest of Martha Kent's creations. I'm hoping there's a knit garbage pail in there."

"No, but there's a powder cozy. Or maybe it's a toaster cover."

"Bottle warmer. I think." Lex tucked Livvie into her carrier, which seemed to be shrinking by the day. She was going to need a bigger one soon. "Come on, let's go into the lounge and hang out. I need some adult companionship I actually enjoy versus the jerks I see every day."

"Okay, but just don't aim her in my direction, all right? It's like having the world's cutest weapon." 

Lex considered Clark's words for a moment. "Now there's a marketing angle that hasn't been exploited "

~*~

Clark was on his fourth win at Playstation as Lex looked on, letting Livvie smack the other joystick with happy abandon.

"You're making me feel crappy, here, Lex," Clark groused. "I'm not used to competing with a three-month -old."

"She's just toying with you," Lex said, sounding blase. "Waiting until the moment you're feeling overly confident and then she'll pounce in for the kill. You'll see."

"I think someone's projecting a bit here," said Clark, fixing Lex with a narrow look. He held it for as long as he could until they both burst into loud laughter, the baby squealing her approval. 

After the fifth decidedly one-sided game, Clark finally put down the controls. "Okay, Livvie. You got me. I surrender to your diabolical plot."

Lex hoisted the baby in the air, imitating the cheer of a crowd. "Victory is ours!" He smiled at Clark, then held her out for him. "How about a hug and kiss for the winner? Here, take her for a minute."

Strangely, Clark blanched at the suggestion. "Oh, no. That's okay."

"Don't you want to hold her?" Lex asked curiously. "You seem okay with everything else."

A frantic head shake. "No. I I'm really clumsy, Lex."

"Nonsense," Lex insisted, holding the baby toward him, but Clark looked as though he were about to run and bolt for the door. "You won't drop her."

"Really, Lex. I break things, I mean, I drop them and break them and " The hazel eyes were huge with consternation. "I'm like an ox. A stupid ox. If I ever hurt her ... I can't take that chance."

"Clark, it's okay," he tried to soothe. "Really."

"I just don't want to hurt her. Ever." Clark looked miserable and Lex was torn between curiosity and sympathy. 

"I trust you," Lex insisted, but he tucked Livvie back onto his lap anyway. 

"I know. I just I know." Hoarsely, and there followed long moments of quiet, broken only by the shrill beeping of Lex's cell. 

"Luthor," Lex replied into the receiver. 

It was Gabe Sullivan. "Lex, I sent over Raymond Price, lading department, to your house a few minutes ago. He's been acting very weird lately, asking about our future orders, the ones you told me to hold off on. He's grown a little too insistent for my taste. I told him he'd have to speak to you directly, in person."

Ah, the culprit finally shows his greedy warts, Lex thought cynically. They always do. "That's a very good idea, Gabe. Between you and me, I think Mr. Price and I are going to have a very interesting discussion. I'll call you back later." 

Lex clicked the phone shut, then turned to Clark with his sweetest smile. "Clark, I'm going to ask you a huge favor. Mrs. Atkins has an afternoon's doctor's appointment and while I thought my schedule was free, something urgent just came up. If I tuck her in for a nap, will you be okay with keeping an eye on her? I promise, it won't be long, less than an hour." 

Clark hesitated. "Will I do I "

"No picking up, no diaper changing." Lex held up his hand. "Scout's honor."

"Really?" Clark raised an eyebrow. "Were you ever a Scout?"

Lex considered as he rose, picking up Livvie with him. "No, but I knew some Girl Scouts once and boy, those cookies "

"TMI alert, Lex. Too much information okay?" Clark sighed, following Lex into the hall. "Sheesh."

~*~

Raymond Price, the plant's lading manager strolled into Lex's office easily, as if he owned the world or some small portion of it he'd gained through means too clever for the common man.

Lex knew that look. He'd seen it in the mirror often enough as a child and teenager. But he was grown now and learned long ago that petty pride goes before the most embarrassing falls.

One of the very first -- and harshest -- lessons Lionel taught him.

"Hello, Mr. Luthor." The man was very ruddy and looked very satisfied with himself, like a fat, pet parakeet. Such a shame Lionel hadn't warned him about the sleek, hungry cats that lurked in the unlikeliest of places. 

Lex regarded him coldly. "Take a seat, please. Before we start our meeting, tell me, are you a father, Mr. Price?"

Confused, Price blinked. Obviously not the conversation starter he'd been expecting. "Uh, yeah. I have two. Two boys."

"How nice," Lex said, smiling thinly. "Normally, I wouldn't care about the intimate matters of my employees except for the fact that I've recently become a father myself and I find my attitude toward certain, shall we say, types of perfidy have modified themselves accordingly."

Perfidy was a magical word. Lex often thought as much.

A bead of sweat rolled down the ruddy neck. "Sir?"

Lex sharply cut to the chase. "You've been working for my father, haven't you, Mr. Price?"

Surprise, shock and horror all battled for their place on the man's face. "Um I why how " he stammered.

"You've purposefully sabotaged those orders so we'd have register that quarter loss. And you did this on his orders, didn't you?"

The man was flummoxed. "Sab sabotage?"

Lex continued, not missing a beat. "And while normally I'd fire you and spread the word that anyone who hired you could kiss any present or future business with me goodbye, I'm now inclined to think about your family first and you last. Is any of this getting through to you, Mr. Price? Please tell me it is, because I really don't have time for these petty games."

Resignation lined the man's face, aging him considerably. "Yes, sir."

"Good." Lex leaned back in his chair, hands steepled on the desk's edge. "So now that we understand each other, I assume you know what I now expect of you."

Price swallowed hard. "To spy on your father?"

"Spy is such a harsh word," Lex replied smoothly. "Sort of like the word sabotage, wouldn't you say? No, I don't want you to spy on my father, just be sure you inform me of any future requests he has of you in time for me to counter them. Without informing him that's what you're doing, of course."

"Of course," Price muttered.

"Have a nice day, Mr. Price," Lex finished sweetly. "Be sure to give my best to your lovely wife and both your fine sons. I'm sure you'll teach them a lesson someday about duplicity and price of getting caught."

Deflated, the man limped away and Lex watched him go, feeling sick in the pit of his stomach; a thick rolling sense of unease that spread throughout his body and soul. 

So this was the world his daughter would grow up in. A world of betrayal and fear and lies. He'd never seen it so certainly as he did at that moment, through the prism of her innocent existence.

Clearly, some changes would have to be made.

~*~

Lex had to grip the handrail hard on his way upstairs, to avoid punching it or simply ripping it from its moorings in a blind rage. In the past it wouldn't have mattered, but he had to gain control over his monumental temper for Livvie's sake.

She was never going to see this side of him, even if he had to eliminate from his being entirely, by any means necessary.

Deep breaths, he cautioned himself before stepping into the nursery, casual smile firmly in place.

Surprised then, to see Clark and Livvie, sleeping together atop the nanny's daybed, pillows lined up like a fort across the open side, so as to prevent Livvie, settled smack dab in the middle of the mattress, from rolling anywhere near the edge. 

Clark lay on the far end, his hand resting lightly atop the baby's hip, his thumb tucked in her tiny fist.

Lex silently took the pillows away then toed off his shoes before climbing in on the empty side. He curled around his daughter's left, as Clark was curled around her right.

Lex lay for a long time like that, watching Livvie and Clark breathe in tandem, their mouths hanging open, just a little. 

He took his infant daughter's free hand within his own and let Livvie curl her fingers over his thumb. She took a deep, content breath at the touch, then fell back into slumber.

He wanted to shut his eyes and nap as well, but something compelled him to keep watching. To keep watch. Over both his daughter and Clark, who seemed more connected in his mind than he could have thought possible.

Who needed his protection and care and love, for separate, but equally important, reasons.

Clark's eyes fluttered open. "Oh hey, Lex" he yawned. "How did your meeting go?"

"Fine," he lied. "Just a trifle that had to be taken care of."

"Good. And I'm sorry about this, Lex, but she was really crying in the crib, so I laid her down here instead and she liked it better and then we well "

"Don't be sorry, Clark. You did great." Lex insisted. "You'll be up to diapers in no time," he said slyly.

Clark made a disparaging noise and closed his eyes. "Ain't doing no diapers." Sleepily, and Lex felt the tug toward a nap finally overtake him as well. 

It felt oddly like peace, a certain achievement in itself.

~*~

more to come 


	3. A Day at The Races

**A DAY AT THE RACES, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA  
by ingrid**

~*~

When Lex used to frequent the Great Metropolitan Mall in the city, he did so at midnight when all the stores were open only for one person -- himself. Being a Luthor had all sorts of convenient privileges, not the least being shopping as though you were the only person on the planet who mattered with everyone else, from tailors to cashiers, existing but to serve you and you alone. 

It was fast, it was convenient and it was 

Lonely. 

His father considered it the ultimate show of power, keeping a business open or closed at your whim but now, with a six-month old Livvie and two Kents by his side, Lex realized this was the way shopping was meant to be -- a jostling ode to capitalism and companionship.

Besides, he did bring the nanny. And two hired workers to follow them around with huge baskets and snatch up every item Martha Kent so much as glanced twice at, but Lex couldn't change all his ways overnight, now could he?

Livvie seemed to like the noise, the bustle of the store. She peered around curiously from her perch in her father's arms, soaking in all the other shoppers, enjoying their coos and cootchie-chootchie faces as Martha held up one baby item after the other, humming her approval. 

The only person who didn't seem to be having an enlightening or even fairly good time was Clark. His shoulders slumped as he followed them from section to section, sighing loudly when Martha found yet another unexplored niche of a seemingly endless Infant Department.

"Oh, this is just adorable," she exclaimed, holding up a lavender party dress, plump with tulle and polished linen.

Lex nodded meaningfully at the assistants, who didn't have to be told twice to grab the dress in at least three sizes and add it to their already substantial piles.

"Are we done yet?" Clark was trying so hard not to whine.

It wasn't working. "Not until your mother thinks we are," Lex replied.

"Mom " Clark rubbed his forehead and looked at her beseechingly. "All this pink hurts my eyes."

Martha was nonplussed. She picked up another fluffy dress -- a black velvet one with purple trim. "Really? Did you ever tell Lana Lang that? Because she certainly wears a lot of it." 

Lex bit his lip. Hard. Martha Kent was a devilish woman. No wonder his father drooled after her. "Just a few more minutes, Clark." Lex smiled sweetly at his best friend, who looked more woebegone by the second. "And then we'll hit Electric Ladyland and check out some cooler stuff."

Clark brightened a little. "There's a new White Stripes CD out. Think they'll have it?"

"I'm not sure. I was thinking more along the lines of Barney videos," Lex replied, keeping a straight face until Clark threw him a look of horror that would possibly go down in the history books as The Most Miserable Look Ever. He couldn't help but laugh. "I'm kidding, Clark. We'll check out the music section and see what's what."

"Okay, I think I'm done," Martha announced, rubbing her hands together. "Now, to the check-out counter."

"Why don't you grab my corporate card, Martha, and if it's all right with you, I'll take Clark out so he can breathe some less pastel-colored air," Lex said. He pulled the card from his pocket and handed it to her. "I'll also take Livvie with us and we'll meet up with you in the garage by the limo?"

"No problem," Martha replied, already looking at the cashier's counter with eyes that reminded Lex very much of an eagle spying its hapless prey. "I'll see you boys there in a bit. Everyone else, follow me."

Like a general leading her troops into battle, the hired shoppers and nanny followed Martha to the counter while Lex propelled Clark toward the exit. "That's going to get ugly," Lex said, with a smile. "Let's get out while we can."

"Glad you figured that much out," Clark said sarcastically. "Sheesh, Lex. Why'd you let my Mom loose in there? I mean, in the baby section yet. Are you nuts?"

"Probably," Lex replied, shifting Livvie to a slightly more comfortable position in his arms. She was getting bigger every day, his precious girl. "But I have my reasons."

"Dare I ask what they are?" Clark strode toward the flashing lights that spelled out "Electric Ladyland" in huge neon letters. "I can't possibly imagine."

Lex shrugged. "I had this dream the other night "

"You dreamt Mom was torturing us for hours?" Clark grumbled. 

Lex shook his head. "Not exactly. I dreamt my mother came to the castle to visit me and I was really excited because she'd never seen the baby. I told her how much she'd love Livvie and all the things we were going to do together, all the fun we were going to have. I went upstairs to get Livvie, but when I came back down, my mother was gone." Lex stroked his daughter's arm. It was softer than velvet. "And I woke up with certain " He paused. "Regrets." 

He looked up to see Clark staring at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. "Lex I'm so "

Lex waved off the coming apology. "So, I shamelessly borrowed your mother for the day. I hope you don't mind. I just wanted to simulate the grandma experience, at least once."

"Maybe we should go back," Clark insisted guiltily.

"Nah, I'm done," Lex said firmly. He grinned. "I'll admit, it was slightly overwhelming."

"That's one way of putting it." A loud cheer from a far corner of the mall floor and Clark curiously craned his neck to look. "Hey, look over there," he said, excitedly, grabbing Lex's free arm and tugging him down the crowded corridor. "I think I know what that is."

Lex wiggled his way through the mass of slow-walking humanity, balancing Livvie while trying to keep up. "What? What is it?" Maybe shopping in an empty mall wasn't such a bad idea after all. 

"Check it out, Lex," Clark said, pointing to a riot of pink and blue balloons and a virtual parking lot of carriages. "Baby races!"

Lex squinted at the milling group of mothers, all of them holding a baby. "What the devil is a baby race?"

"It's this cute thing where you put your baby on a big mat and the first one to crawl to the other end is the winner. It's a promotional thing, for baby food and cribs and stuff."

"How do you know all this?" Lex glanced warily at the mat, the scattered toys and the other babies, all of whom were very nice, but vastly inferior to his own perfect, gorgeous girl. 

"Pete and I used to bet on them in the eighth grade. I could always pick the winner, " Clark replied shamelessly. He smiled hugely at Livvie. "We have a winner here, Lex."

"You bet on babies racing each other?" Lex shook his head as if to clear it. "And my daughter? Crawling over a public floor in some ridiculous race? I don't think so, Clark."

"Come on, Lex," Clark begged. "It'll be fun." He pointed at Livvie. "Look at her, she wants to meet the other kids her own age. She's tired of hanging out with boring old grown-ups." 

Feeling a tug, Lex glanced at his daughter, who was whimpering and reaching out with her chubby hands toward the other babies, as if she could pull them to her through sheer force of will. "Well " he wavered.

"Great! You go sign us up." Clark snatched Livvie from Lex's arms and kissed her sloppily on the forehead. As Livvie grew hardier, he'd forgotten his fear of holding her completely. "Come on, Champ. Let's show them what baby racing is all about."

"Clark " Lex called out, but it was useless. They were long gone. He sighed before signing his name onto the clipboard list of contestants. "I'm going to regret this aren't I?" he said to no one in particular as he scribbled his name along the next available dotted line.

Minutes later, Lex found himself kneeling on the edge of a huge blue rubber mat, holding onto a rattle with great trepidation. At the other end sat Clark, Indian-style, holding onto Livvie and looking nowhere near as nervous. 

Terrible memories of Lionel sitting in the stands at various school events and looking down on him with detached, cold, disapproval and Lex was about to run across the mat and snatch his daughter away when the whistle was blown.

They were off. The Luthor competitive spirit took hold and Lex focused on his daughter who left Clark's grip distracted by her competitors, but turned her attention back to her father soon enough.

He used his brightest smile. His most enticing looks. Threw winks and kisses her way that would have melted the hardest heart. Urged her forward with rattle shakes, pattings and a very genteel cry of : "COME ON, LIVVIE!"

Clark did his part by pointing emphatically forward and once Livvie got the idea, there was no stopping her. 

The other babies didn't have a chance.

She steamrollered past them into Lex's arms and was declared the winner by a full minute, not including the baby that had accidentally crawled to Clark and was in the process of contentedly chewing on his coat sleeve. 

The mistress of ceremonies motioned Lex to stand and announced the winner. "Olivia Hope Luthor," she said, squinting at the sign-up sheet. With a smile, she draped the little silver medal and pink ribbon over Livvie's head and went back to her schedule. "Next, we have the clapping contest," she announced, but Lex was too busy staring at the circle of silver hanging around his daughter's neck.

"Told you we had a winner," Clark said smugly. He kissed the top of Livvie's head. "You're the Champ!"

Livvie gurgled, then promptly decided to chew on her prize, wetting the pink silk with a gooey gumming.

Lex quickly took the medal away and stuffed it in his pocket. "We should be going, Clark," he said, already striding toward the garage entrance. He felt dazed. "Your mother will be waiting by now."

"But " Clark looked ruefully at the Electric Ladyland sign. "Okay," he sighed. He chased after Lex who was nearly at the door. "Hey, wait up!"

"Sorry, Clark," Lex said mid-stride. "I suddenly have a lot of work to do."

Clark looked confused. "What work? Did you forget something at the plant?"

"No," Lex replied. He waved to Martha who stood in front of what was no doubt a fully packed limousine. "Something personal. That just came up this minute."

Clark blinked. "What came up this minute?"

Exasperated, Lex sighed. "Livvie's victory party, that's what. I have planners to call, a house to prepare, invitations to print I have to get a move on if I want to get it done for tomorrow night."

Understanding dawned slowly, but when it did, Clark gaped impressively. "Livvie's what? And planners and "

"Move it, Kent!" Lex ordered, clambering into the limo and nimbly strapping Livvie into her car seat. "You'll be helping, by the way. I'll need someone to keep their eye on the decorators. You'll help make up the guest list as well. I want everyone there., and I mean, everyone. Except my father, of course."

"But but " Clark stammered. "It was just a "

"Don't argue, Clark," Lex said firmly. He put his fingers around the medal and squeezed. For some reason, just touching it made him deliriously happy. "Just get ready for one heck of a party."

"But but Lex!"

~*~  
tbc ...


	4. Sleep Deprivation

**SMALL FAVOR IV: SLEEP DEPRIVATION  
by ingrid**

It had been a long, tiring day. Livvie's first big tooth was cutting through and Lex was at his wit's end, trying to soothe away her pain. 

Nights were spent rocking her in his arms, the dawn eventually peeping through the blinds in dull shades of pink and gold and Lex fought to stay awake, even as she screamed.

He got used to rubbing useless anesthetic on her gums, wincing at its sour smell. She drooled over his favorite shirts until he wised up enough to put on t-shirts instead. She chewed on her hands relentlessly, screaming when he pulled them out of her mouth. She slept fitfully, for minutes at a time, allowing him even less.

She cried some more. 

Lex cried with her. And kept the chair rocking.

The nanny offered to take over until the worst had passed, but Lex knew in his heart that this was his job. His test as a father and as usual, failure was not an option. He showered sporadically, ate when he remembered to and Gabe Sullivan was getting a bonus that would probably make him faint beneath the Christmas tree, but it was worth it to have every minute to do what had to be done.

By the second week of misery and no sleep, the man in the mirror frightened Lex. He looked drawn and sickly white, lost beneath the razor sharp lines of his cheekbones and skin. Livvie was hiccoughing in her crib and for the first time ever in Lex's life, sincere prayer seemed like a really good idea.

Dear God, he swore, if you make her stop crying, I'll be a much better man that anyone might have hoped for.

If you make her pain go away, I'll be good. So good. 

If you give me a full hour of sleep, I'll so be your bitch, oh Lord, my god.

But it seemed that God didn't listen to the prayers of new fathers. Not right away, at any rate. Livvie kept howling and chewing on Lex's medicine-soaked fingers, while a silently hysterical Lex wondered how the hell any human being survived their first year as a parent. 

According to his father, he was supposed to be a survivor, wasn't he? But that only applied to the fists of maniacs and gunshots headed in his direction from disgruntled people.

Come to think of it, a bullet headed his way would have been good at that moment. Very good.

By the time this morbid thought occurred to him, it was four-thirty a.m, fifteen days past Livvie's first restless night and it was at that moment Lex called Clark, laughing and sobbing like a madman into the phone. 

He heard the receiver on the other end clatter to the floor. Fine, leave me here alone to my fate, you bastard, Lex thought dizzily, not even knowing if Livvie was still in her crib, unable to get up and check. He didn't leave her anywhere, did he? Where was she? If he'd ...

A warm rush of air in the room and somehow Clark was there, kneeling in front of the rocker. His handsome face was dark with concern and Lex didn't even feel the hand that caressed his knee, that's how far gone he was. 

"Livvie?" Lex croaked, looking around with eyes that barely worked.

"She's in the crib, Lex. Jesus, you look awful. When was the last time you slept?"

Lex tipped forward in the chair, nearly falling over with relief. "I can't do this," he said with an air of miserable finality. "I can't. I'm a failure. Ask your mother to take Livvie in, Clark. I don't deserve her. I'm a horrible father. I should be taken outside and shot. Do you have a gun?"

Clark looked horrified. And furious. "Don't say things like that, Lex. Don't ever say anything like that." His voice softened. "You're just tired, that's all. You need a break. How about I get you into bed, Lex? Would you like that?"

For some reason this struck Lex as incredibly funny. "Of all the times to ask me, Clark. You _could_ have tried when I was sane, you know. But now ..."

Clark flushed a deep shade of pink and stood. "Come on," he said, tugging Lex up into a standing position. He balanced him in his arms. "Let's get you to your bed."

When this proved to be too difficult a task for Lex under his own power, Clark simply hauled him up into a fireman's carry over his shoulder, rubbing the back of his legs comfortingly as he carried him down the hallway to his bedroom. "I'll look after Livvie. You just sleep, okay? If I have any problems, I'll call my mom. So there's nothing to worry about, okay? Everything's under control."

Lex was already half asleep, even while hanging upside down. "You don't have to call your mother, Clark. I can do it," he yawned. His eyes fluttered shut and he only vaguely felt Clark laying him onto his bed, tucking the covers around his shoulders and ... God ... the soft comfort of a warm pillow beneath his head, that was heaven right there. 

Normally, he would have jolted awake a few seconds later with Livvie's name on his lips. But Clark ... Clark was there and his soft voice soothed Lex toward a deep sleep, something he didn't think he'd ever enjoy again.

"It's all right now. I'm going to take care of everything," Clark whispered, sprawled out beside him on the bed, brushing warm fingers along Lex's cheeks. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Lex tried to reply, but his lips were silenced by a very gentle kiss. "Good night, Lex. Sleep tight."

I must be dreaming, Lex thought, before sleep took its inevitable hold. 

It had to be nothing more than a dream.

But what a dream it was.

~*~

Hours later, Lex blinked through the fog of the deepest sleep he'd ever known without the help of pharmaceuticals. His muscles ached as he stretched himself out of the bed, sitting and rubbing his eyes wearily, trying to read the digital clock on his night table.

Three. Zero. Six. 

He rubbed harder and squinted. The clock said three, but it wasn't dark outside his window and that made no sense, but ...

Gaping, Lex rose and bolted out the door. Ran down the hallway to Livvie's room and finding it empty, he stumbled down the main staircase two steps at a time. "Livvie! Clark!"

Clark stood at the bottom of the stairs, smiling. "Good morning, sleepy. Come on in the kitchen. We have a late breakfast on."

"Where's the baby?" Lex asked. He didn't mean to sound abrupt, but ...

Clark didn't seem to mind. In fact, he looked positively understanding. "She's in the kitchen and she's fine. You'll see," he said, slinging an arm over Lex's shoulder and steering him toward a wonderful smell coming from a part of the mansion Lex didn't remember visiting all that often. 

Lex sniffed the air tentatively. It was heavy with the warm scent of home cooking. "Is the cook here?"

"Sort of," Clark laughed, pushing open the kitchen door and revealing his parents -- Martha sitting at the island, playing with Livvie who sat contentedly in her carrier, chewing on something long and red and Jonathan, standing in front of the stove, studiously flipping a piece of food that looked suspiciously like a pancake.

"He lives," Jonathan said, not looking up from the sizzling frying pan. "Clark, can you get me that plate over there?"

Clark scurried to obey, and Martha waved to Lex. "Good morning." She took up Livvie's free hand and wiggled it in Lex's direction. "Say good morning to Daddy, sweets."

Lex blinked, not knowing whether to laugh with joy or scream in terror. He did neither, opting instead to take a seat across from Martha, pulling Livvie's carrier close. "Hey, sweetie." Lex gingerly fingered the bit of red cloth she was holding onto so tightly, surprised to find it was wet and cold.

"Frozen washrag," Martha explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Best thing for teething. Just wet it and throw it in the freezer, then give it to her to chew on when she cries. It numbs her little gums and helps the teeth break through."

"Right," Lex said, making an inner vow to toss every baby book he owned onto a bonfire. A big bonfire. He leaned down and kissed Livvie's forehead. It was cool and she looked like she hadn't cried in hours. Never before had Lex Luthor believed in blessings, but now ... 

He turned around. "You don't have to cook, Mr. Kent. I can order something for us."

Jonathan Kent raised an eyebrow at him. He held up a pancake-covered plate. "You think can order _these_ outside?"

Lex examined the plate. The pancakes were golden and fluffy and practically bursting with blueberries. "No, I don't think I could," he admitted. Honestly, too. 

"Darned right, you couldn't," Jonathan replied, adding the plate to the row of additional dishes already lined up in soldierly fashion along the counter. "Start the dishing out, Clark."

"Yes, sir," Clark said, and a few minutes later, Lex was staring at a plate piled high with pancakes, bacon, eggs and toast, his stomach growling its approval. There were jams and tiny muffins on the side, along with a big bowl of granola mix and dried fruits. Some hash too, and Lex wondered what the rest of them were going to eat when he tucked into the food with gusto, fully intending to devour everything in sight.

Oh, it was good. So good, and it felt like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Probably because he _hadn't_ eaten properly in weeks. "Fis isf defilicious," he muttered past a mouth full of scrambled egg. "Reaffy goodf."

Martha laughed. "Slow down, sweetheart. You'll make Clark nervous. He's not used to having competition at the table."

"Mom!" Clark whined, sneaking a hand toward the last muffin.

Lex held his fork up in a defensive position, ready to skewer wandering fingers. "Don't even think it," he grumbled and Clark edged away with a scared look. A quick buttering later, the muffin was gone. "Wonderful," Lex sighed, when the last crumb was scraped away. "Best breakfast I've had in years."

Jonathan chuckled into his coffee cup. "Hear that, Martha? You might have to hand over your crown."

Cornflower blue eyes narrowed. "Someone wants to cook dinner too, I'm sensing."

"I'll wash," Clark said, gathering the plates with impressive speed, cutting off any arguments before they could begin. 

"There's a dishwasher, Clark," Lex said, pointing to a stainless steel door tucked between the lower cabinets, next to the sink. "Rumor has it you put them in there, push a button and they're done."

"I've heard stories of these magical machines," said Martha, with only a little irony. Maybe a lot. "Jonathan? Have you ever heard of such a wondrous thing?"

"Nothing beats a good hand washing," he replied quickly. "Get to it, Clark."

"Yes, sir." 

Hot soapy water bubbled up in the massive sink. Lex got up from the stool with some difficulty and searched through the drawers for a towel. "I'll dry," he said when he finally found a clean one, noticing an impressed look from Jonathan Kent as he padded past. 

The assembly line started. Wet dish, dry dish, stack of plates put away as the cutlery clattered back into the drawer. Martha hummed a song to Livvie, something from an old Disney movie and Jonathan drank his coffee silently, just watching as Clark and Lex worked, side by side.

Eventually, the last spoon was put away. Lex turned around, feeling a strange sense of triumph, overjoyed to see Livvie sleeping peacefully in her carrier. His throat caught as he watched Martha and Jonathan Kent sitting in his kitchen, whispering to each other, lightly holding hands, and he could feel Clark's presence next to him, filling the entire room with warmth. With love.

Not that Clark noticed. He was too busy shaking his head with bemusement at his parents. "When are you guys going to act like married people? " he asked with mock disgust. "Lex is going to toss you out."

Jonathan drew himself up. He wasn't a tall man, but Lex decided he was one of the strongest-looking ones he'd ever seen. "Speaking of that, I think it's time we left," Jonathan said. He clapped a hand to Lex's shoulder. "When you need help with the baby, young man, I hope you'll call us before things get so bad again. You can't care for your child if you don't take care of yourself."

Lex smiled. Finally, a platitude he could live with. "You're right. Thank you for being here when I needed help."

"Don't be a stranger, either," Martha said, tiptoeing up and kissing Lex's cheek. "Come over anytime. We'll be glad to have you both."

Heat filled Lex's face and was he blushing? No. Impossible. Still, he returned Martha's kiss. Shyly. "You might never get rid of me," he admitted. "Treatment like this is addicting."

God, he sounded like a sap, but Martha only laughed. "We have to break you in slowly, before you're inducted into the real hardships of Kentdom, Lex. Remember, no air-conditioning _and_ no dishwasher."

"I can handle that," Lex protested, over the laughter of two departing Kents. "But I can," he said weakly, frowning at Clark's snorted response.

"Uh, huh. You're the salt of the earth, Lex," Clark chuckled. "I'll build a trailer for you in the lower forty. Luxery like you've never known. Literally."

"I don't appreciate this sort of prejudice. Rich people are people too, you know."

"And once I get you a blond mullet wig, you're set. We'll call you 'Lex Dirt', good ol' Kansas boy with the dishpan hands."

"Shut up, Clark."

"And we can sing while you fry up the chicken necks. 'Don't tell ma heart, ma achy breaky heeearrrrrt ..."

"I said, shut up, Clark."

~*~

The phone calls Lex made that evening were short and to the point. One to the plant, one to Gabe Sullivan and a message left on his father's answering machine, giving him his bi-monthly warning away from Lex's business and baby, just for good measure. 

Lex felt a tiny twinge of guilt when he hung up -- the man had been keeping a respectful distance for months -- so he decided to assuage it with an emailed picture of Livvie in her crib. 

Who knows? All that prettiness might charm some goodness into the Devil himself. Maybe.

Pipe dreams, Lex thought, snatching a blanket on his way into the living room where Clark was watching Livvie for him. If he were really sneaky and lowdown, maybe he could catch a final nap on the sofa before Clark headed home. 

As luck would have it, Livvie and Clark had already beaten him to the punch. Curled up on the couch together, Clark sat with his head thrown back in sleep and Livvie nestled in the crook of his arm, her little fingers clutching a handful of wrinkled plaid, soggy where someone had obviously been drooling on it. 

Someone who wasn't a baby with teething issues.

Mental note, Lex thought. Mock Clark mercilessly for that later.

In the meantime, Lex bit his lip and watched as his two favorite people in the world snored in tandem. Clark with a "bzzz-rcck-snork!" and Livvie with her delicate, more lady-like "whee-wee-heeeee." 

Where the heck was a video camera when you needed one, he thought, taking his place at Clark's side on the couch, sliding down carefully so as not to wake either of them. The scene needed a Third Stooge and Lex was more than happy to oblige, ready to join the snore symphony.

He looked around for a pillow. There wasn't any. Thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. 

His head. Clark's knee. It was meant to be.

Lex settled in with a sigh. He pulled the blanket up and closed his eyes, nuzzling the warm denim-clad leg. 

A heavy hand flopped down and landed on Lex's shoulder, rubbing sleepily. "Mmmphargh," Clark mumbled incoherently, tightening his grip before returning to his snoring. And drooling.

"Good night to you too," Lex replied with a yawn. He reached up and patted his daughter's chubby leg. "Sleep tight, angel."

"Whee-wee-heee," was the only response.

~*~

tbc ...


	5. Good Times

**GOOD TIMES  
by ingrid**

~*~

At eight months, Livvie's hair had grown to a length long enough for Lex to play with, to brush this way and that and to discern its color, ranging in strands from bright red to strawberry blonde. It curled up at the nape of her neck and he pushed aside the idea of little diamond clips to hold it up, mostly from fear of her swallowing them. 

He _had_ jokingly put one of his mother's tiaras on her that day however, laughing at Clark's eye roll when he came by to visit. 

Clark pointed accusingly. "What's that on her head?"

"Her crown," Lex replied as blasely as he could in-between the chuckles. "Sucks being a princess without one."

Broad arms crossed a broader chest. "Do the words 'spoiled rotten' mean anything to you?"

Lex thought for a moment, his fingers resting against his chin. "No, can't say they do. I mean, they sound like they might mean something, but, I have to confess that I'm quite ignorant of any connection those words might have to me or my daughter or my ..."

"All right, all right," Clark groused, cutting him off with a wave of his hand. He sighed and leaned in to kiss Livvie's cheek. "I'll keep you from getting as fatheaded as your Daddy, kiddo. I promise," he whispered in her ear, loudly enough for Lex to hear.

"I should hope so, Clark," Lex said breezily. "Because the crown won't fit at all then. And I should know."

Clark blinked. "How would you know?"

"I tried it on first," Lex replied. Ducking from the wadded up piece of paper Clark crumpled and tossed his way with surprising speed, Lex laughed and peeked up at Clark. "Jealousy doesn't become you, my friend. If you want your own ..."

"Shut. Up. Lex." Clark scowled, while Livvie giggled. 

Strangely, her giggle turned into a shallow cough and Lex whirled in his chair, examining her closely. Taking off the tiara, he pulled her from her carrier and onto his lap. "Hey, Princess, what was that?"

She looked up at him quizzically, before another wheezing out another cough, this time in conjunction with a sneeze. 

Clark's eyes widened. "That doesn't sound good."

Lex turned thoughtful. He rubbed Livvie's back in soothing circles. "Might be some dust," he said doubtfully. Lex pressed his lips against her forehead. It felt warmer than usual, but not obviously hot. "Or, it might not be. I'm not taking any chances." 

The cell phone was flipped open, and Lex pressed the second number on the speed dial, the first being Clark's. "Livvie's pediatrician," he explained, while the number rang. The answering service responded and Lex immediately went from concerned to annoyed. "This is Lex Luthor," he growled. "Tell him to call me back immediately."

Irritated, he flipped the phone shut. "I told him to give me his direct cell number, but ... " Lex grumbled, taking a deep breath to control his temper in the face of Livvie's wide-eyed look. "You know doctors."

"Sort of," Clark mumbled. He bit his lip. "Maybe I should hang out. Just in case?"

Lex smiled. It was the best offer he'd had all day, and that included a deal that would net LexCorp fifty million over the next six years. "I think myself and Her Highness would enjoy that very much. What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything but that stuff with the grass in it," Clark replied quickly, making a face. "I don't care if it's a delicacy either."

"Soup and sandwiches it is, and that's lemongrass, Clark. Not grass." Lex rose, hoisting Livvie into his arms. "Even I can tell the difference between you and your Dad's cows."

"Har. Hardy-har-hard," Clark said, following Lex out of the office and into the kitchen where hopefully, something good and non-grassy awaited.

~*~

True to form, Livvie's doctor didn't call and as the night progressed, her cough got worse, her temperature climbing higher. It was a strange noise she was making too -- more like a puppy's bark than a full-bodied cough, followed by thin wheezing. She'd started to cry, then wail, even when Clark held her, rocking her in his arms, something that had normally quieted her every other time.

Lex talked furiously into the phone, practically spitting with anger. "I don't give a damn if he's on vacation... _pay_ this man a stipend to be on call when I need him. And _no_ I'm not taking my daughter to some filthy emergency room if I don't have to. What is it about the word "on-call" don't you understand? No ... no, I'm not going to hold on for the nurse. No, and good night."

Beet red with rage, Lex stormed from the room and Clark could hear the smash of a cell phone being thrown against the stone wall of the hallway. 

At the violent noise, Livvie began to cry harder and cough more. 

Clark bit his lip while rocking her. "Lex ..." he called, not liking the sound she was making, not at all. "Maybe we should take her to an emergency room."

Lex strode back inside, breathing hard through flared nostrils. "Okay," he said, his eyes bright and wet-looking, his voice strained. "Will you come with me?"

"Of course," Clark replied. He reached out and rubbed Lex's shoulder. It was twisted tight with tension. "Try to relax, okay? She'll be fine. The ER in town is nice and not that busy. Not like the hospitals in Metropolis."

"My daughter ... " Lex ground out, fighting to keep his emotions under control. He took a shaky breath. "You'll have to drive, Clark. Would you mind?"

Surprised, Clark looked at him. "Not at all." He gave Lex a half-hearted smile. "I live to drive your cars, you know that."

Lex took Livvie in his arms, wincing at every cough. He felt her forehead and shook his head. "She's really hot. We have to go."

"Okay," Clark said, putting a comforting arm around Lex's shoulders, steering them both into the long hall, toward the garage. "I'll put the pedal to the metal. Sensibly."

"Thanks." Lex swallowed hard and kissed the top of his baby's head. "It's okay, angel. We'll have this fixed up in no time," he said, with strained cheeriness. 

A cheeriness he didn't feel.

~*~

As Clark foretold, the ER was mostly empty, except for a couple of Smallville's more prolific alcoholics, who'd had the misfortune to get into a fight with people more sober than themselves. They lay scraped and snoring on two beds as a nurse on duty led Clark and Lex into a more private area of the emergency room.

Lex wrapped his coat tightly around his daughter, shielding her as he stepped past them, his face wrinkling with disgust. Livvie's coughs had gotten louder, barky with rattling breaths and he was in no mood to deal with anything besides her immediate recovery. 

The doctor, a genial man in his fifties showed up a moment later to examine her. "Huh," he said, listening to Livvie's chest through a stethoscope. "Heh."

Clark glanced nervously at Lex, who felt like he was about to explode. "What is it?" he snapped at the doctor, who ignored him and kept listening.

"Let's have a cough, sweetie," the doctor said, pulling the instrument from his ears and listening patiently. 

Livvie unwittingly complied with a short, sharp bark. 

Lex's hands were twitching dangerously and Clark surreptitiously touched his arm. "It's okay, Lex," he whispered. "Just be patient."

"Doctor," Lex said slowly, reaching down to take Clark's wrist. He squeezed it, hard, in an effort to restrain himself from the mother of all temper tantrums. "What's wrong with my daughter?"

The doctor sniffed, ignoring the venom in Lex's voice. "Croup. Viral, I'm thinking, but we'll do the blood work first."

Lex's mouth dropped open. "Croup ... and you're taking blood?"

"Yep," the doctor replied, scratching his pen over a hastily made chart. "Jean," he called out to the nurse. "Call the lab. I'll need a full viral panel on this infant."

"You're taking blood?" Lex repeated, aghast. "From my _baby_?"

"That's how it's normally done, yes," the doctor replied. He looked up. "You can have the mother stay instead if it bothers you that much. Is she here?"

"Oh, for the love of ... forget it." Lex convulsively clutched at Clark's wrist. He took deep breaths, one after the other, trying to calm himself. "Okay. Right. Wait ... is it going to hurt? There has to be some way you can do this without hurting, right? 

The doctor chuckled, as he accepted a syringe pack from the nurse. "You'd think you were the one getting the needle."

"I wish I was," Lex muttered. He felt nauseous, with Livvie staring up at him, her blue eyes wide and innocent. He tried to smile, but whatever grimace she saw, she didn't like and her little face screwed up with distress. "It's okay, honey," he tried to soothe, but it came out an anemic croak. 

"Lex ... how about I stay with her?" Clark asked softly. "I think she knows you're upset."

"I'm not upset," Lex gulped, as Livvie started a whining cry, interspersed with coughs.

"I think you should consider it, Dad," the doctor said shortly, drawing the tube into the needle. "Croup is made worse by stress. Don't want her throat closing on us now."

At this, Clark quickly hustled Lex from the examination room, ignoring his gasping protests. Left him to huddle pathetically in a plastic chair, before jogging back into the ER. Lex rocked forward and put his hands over his ears, not wanting to hear the screams he knew were coming and was helpless to stop.

The first muffled shriek emitted from behind the door and Lex winced, vowing to devote all his research facilities to cure whatever this _thing_ was that was making his daughter so sick and miserable. 

Not to mention her father.

He also vowed to lock a full-time pediatrician in the castle's dungeon, so he'd be readily available on immediate notice. He'd toss him bread and water and if they ever found the guy, no jury would convict him -- not if they had children. 

Another scream and Lex groaned. He jumped up and shoved the swinging doors aside, relieved when he saw Clark kissing the top of Livvie's head murmuring "all done" over and over again as she sniffled. 

The minute she saw Lex, she reached for him. He picked the baby up, hoisting her over his shoulder, feeling ashamed. He _had_ to be stronger, there was no excuse for running away, not even when Clark shoved him in the coward's direction. 

Have to be there for the good times and bad, he thought, holding his daughter tightly. 

Good times and bad.

"He says the results will be back in thirty minutes. Want me to get us some coffee?" Clark asked quietly. 

Lex shook his head, gently placing Livvie back on the bed. "None for me, thanks. Get some for yourself. And Clark, if you want to go home, I'll completely ..."

Clark grinned ruefully at him. "I'm not going anywhere. Trust me, Mom and Dad will understand. In fact, I can have them come down if you'd ..."

"No," Lex replied quickly. He sighed heavily. "As much as I appreciate the help your parents always offer, I've got to handle this. I have to _learn_ how to handle things like this. Because when it comes down to it, I'm all that Livvie has."

Clark rubbed his shoulder soothingly. "I'm not going to argue with you now, but you're wrong. I'm always here for her ... and you."

Lex laughed weakly. "You're spoiling me, Clark. Better watch out or I'll get used to it."

The arm around his shoulder tightened. "I think you should start getting used to it. Because I plan on being around for a long, long time."

~*~

Two hours later the results came back, as did the doctor. 

"Go home," he said, patting Livvie affectionately on the head. "If she starts looking severely distressed bring her back. If the coughing gets bad, run a hot shower and sit with her in the steam. This shouldn't last for more than a couple of days at the most. If it goes past forty-eight hours longer, call me on my pager, day or night. I'll drive down and take a look at her at home."

"You'll come to my house?" Lex asked suspiciously.

The doctor laughed. "Of course. I've been visiting sick babies at nervous parent's homes for thirty years now. I don't see why you should be the exception."

Thoughts of chaining a doctor in the basement faded. Slightly. "Thank you," Lex said. He tucked a dozing Livvie into his arms. She was still coughing in her sleep, poor thing. "I appreciate your help and I will take you up on that offer if necessary."

"Let's hope it won't be." The doctor smiled at Lex. "Don't worry, son. Babies have survived the croup since the dawn of time. And fathers ... their survival rate is only a little bit lower."

Lex couldn't help but smile back. "I'm glad to hear that." He turned around and gently shook a sleepy Clark, who sat slouched in a beaten ER chair. "Clark? Ready to head out of here?"

"Ready when you are," came the yawning reply. Clark stretched his arms over his head. "Can I drive again?"

"Sure." Lex smiled. 

Once home, they settled in for the night -- Livvie placed in the middle of Lex's king-sized bed, Clark on one side, Lex on the other. Clark slept deeply, Livvie fitfully and Lex not at all. His nerves thrummed beneath his skin, prickling with fear. 

What if Livvie couldn't stop coughing? What if she choked? What if she stopped breathing all together?

Lex felt his own chest tighten in response to those thoughts. He remembered days past when he'd spent so many horrible nights wheezing for air, his mother nestled at his side smiling at him through her terror. He didn't know the full extent of her fear back then, but now ...

Now he understood.

Livvie stirred uneasily. Lex put an arm protectively around her and closed his eyes. Maybe if he got a few minutes of sleep he could better deal with what would come later. Just a few minutes of sleep ...

It was hours later when he woke up to find the bed empty. Lex bolted upright and heard a sound coming from the adjoining bathroom. The shower was on and there was humming ... coming from inside the marble-lined room, echoing off of tiled walls.

Sliding off the bed, Lex padded to the bathroom. He opened the door slowly and peered through the haze. 

The entire room was fogged with steam from the pounding shower. The air was hot and wet and Lex could just make out Clark sitting against the huge porcelain tub, holding Livvie in his arms and humming to her. It sounded suspiciously like a Disney song ... "Someday My Prince Will Come" perhaps? 

Dark hair was plastered to Clark's forehead and cheeks, his t-shirt clung wetly to his chest, but he didn't seem to notice or care. He simply hummed and held Livvie close, her thumb tucked tightly in her mouth, the coughing silenced.

Quietly, Lex closed the door and slid down to sit beside them. There was no sound except for the whoosh of the shower and Clark's low humming. Lex closed his eyes and breathed deeply, the humid air soothing away his tiredness and stress. Soon, his clothes were damp, his skin wet and warm, everything around him was relaxed -- especially his baby who watched the fog dance through the mirrored room with curious eyes.

Clark smiled at Lex from beneath wet bangs. He'd never looked more beautiful in Lex's estimation, which is why kissing him at that moment seemed like a really good idea. Just a small kiss, something soft against his perfect lips, something that was almost chaste. 

Almost. 

If Clark was surprised, he didn't look it. He returned the kiss in the spirit it was given, then curled back against the tub, his head coming to rest on Lex's shoulder. The baby was already half dozing against his chest and Lex reached down to take Clark's fingers, entwining them within his own. 

A tiny hand touched his cheek, resting there in sleep and Lex grinned beside his daughter's palm. 

Do what you must through the bad times, Lex thought through the pleasant fog. 

Because sometimes ... that's how good times are born. 

Straight from the bad.

~*~

to be continued ...


	6. Inheritence

**Small Favors VI: Inheritence  
by ingrid**

~*~

The long days of summer were shortening rapidly, as was Lex's temper. He looked over LeXCorp's stock share prices and snorted angrily. A three-percent drop was _not_ what he'd been expecting for the quarter. Add to that Clark's prolonged absence due to the harvest _and_ Livvie's sudden and dramatic dislike of her playpen in the office, you had a recipe for a major Luthor blowout.

Lex shut his eyes. Squeezed the bridge of his nose, concentrating on breathing while toys clattered onto the office floor, one after the other. Once that was done, the screams began, his baby not yet comprehending the mechanics of cause and effect; the inconvenient fact that toys tossed out of reach were no longer available to play with.

Wearily, Lex rose and dumped the scattered playthings back into Livvie's pen. 

They immediately went flying out ... again.

Annoyed, Lex knelt and looked his daughter in the eye. "Livvie," he said firmly, "If you keep throwing your things, you're not going to have them anymore. You're going to have to decide which is of greater importance to you -- having your toys or enjoying the temporary pleasure of destroying them. Might I suggest you consider keeping them, since anger is rarely assuaged by such destructive gestures. You'll still be mad and you won't have your things. So how about we play nicely like a good little girl? Okay?"

Livvie looked at him. He nodded sagely at her.

Two seconds later, a beanbag unicorn smacked Lex right between the eyes. Hard.

"Nap time," he said, scooping a howling Livvie into his arms. "Sorry, kiddo. We both need a break."

Livvie was deposited in her upstairs crib and Lex waited by the door until her crying quieted into sleepy sniffles. Relieved, he went back into his office, relishing the quiet. 

It didn't last for long.

The office doors flew open and to Lex's horror, the familiar figure of his father strode in without warning. Lex could only gape as Lionel tossed his overcoat onto a chair and proceeded to pour himself a drink, as if he and Lex hadn't had a relationship-ending argument just months before.

Breaking up _was_ hard to do. Especially with someone as impossible as Lionel Luthor.

"Lovely day for a stock plunge, isn't it?" Lionel said craftily, between sips. "You really need to diversify your holdings, son. LeXCorp isn't going to make it on aerospace alone."

"What the hell are you doing here? I thought we had an agreement."

Lionel smirked. "You had an agreement. I merely had other priorities. However, something has come to my attention that involves you ... and my granddaughter, who I must say, seems quite charming, at least from the digital photographs I receive once every other month."

"Be glad you get those," Lex said sharply. "As for anything involving my daughter, I assure you there is nothing about her that could even remotely involve you. Nothing."

With a loud sigh, Lionel pulled a large envelope from his suit jacket and tossed it onto Lex's desk. "I beg to differ." He nodded at the package. "Go on, look at it."

Lex stared at the envelope as if it were a bomb. Slowly, he opened it and shook its contents loose. 

It was a pile of photographs, along with their negatives. Pictures of him and Livvie, taken without his knowledge. He and Livvie at the mall, in the garden, playing in her little sandbox on the property -- all of them with Livvie's face in clear, deliberate close-up.

Lex heart plunged to somewhere near the floor. Horrified, his anger was forgotten. "Where did you get these? Who took them?" 

Lionel examined his son coldly. "Have you forgotten that you are of interest to the press, both the legitimate and tabloid, Lex? That pictures of a billionaire's granddaughter, being raised by his very single son might be a source of profit to certain unscrupulous people -- people who might not care that publishing these pictures would put an innocent infant in harm's way from kidnappers or worse?" His face hardened. "I'm surprised at you, Lex. I thought you were smarter than that."

Trembling, Lex got up and poured himself a stiff drink with shaking hands. "How long has this been ... a problem?"

"I've been purchasing them for the past two months. It's gotten to the point where the papparazzi offer them to me first, with the implicit threat that they'll be published if the price isn't right. I'm growing tired of the extortion, especially since this situation can be easily remedied if you took a few simple steps to avoid it." Dryly. "Might I recommend you buy the child a hat? A large one?"

For the first time in a long time, Lex felt gratitude to his father ... and shame at his own stupidity. "I'm ... I'm sorry," Lex said hoarsely, sick to his stomach. "I wasn't thinking."

"I know, that's why I brought it to your attention. You can't afford to be this careless, Lex. Now that you have your own child, I'd thought you'd be a bit more proactive in these matters, but ... " Lionel shook his head. He peered closely at Lex. "What is it going to take for you to realize that you are no ordinary person and neither is your daughter? Both of you were born to a different standard and while you can make all the noises you like about living an ordinary life, the rest of the world simply isn't going to let you. It's the price you pay for the comforts and status you enjoy. Nothing is free in this world, Lex ... nothing."

"Yes." Lex swallowed down the lump in his throat. He faced Lionel. "I'll handle this from here on in. I'll also reimburse you what you paid for these photos. Tell me the amount and ..."

Lionel rolled his eyes. "Please, Lex. As satanic as you think me, she _is_ my granddaughter." His expression turned sly. "Besides, I think she has my chin."

Lex blinked. "Really? When was the last time you saw your chin? I don't remember ever seeing it." 

Lionel chuckled. "Oh, the resemblance is there all right. Trust me. So, do I get to see this infant phenomenon in person as a reward for my diligence or not? I want to see if she's as pretty as her photos would imply."

Hesitation, then ... "Sure," Lex said quietly. "Follow me."

Once upstairs, Lex paused at the nursery door. This wasn't something he'd ever expected to deal with, but taking a deep breath, he gently pushed it open, hoping against hope Livvie would be asleep.

No such luck. She was standing up by the side of her crib, clutching the rails tightly, babbling little nonsense words and holding her arms up, beseeching someone ... anyone ... for freedom from her confinement.

Lex glanced at his father, who seemed pleased, especially when Livvie made no protest at being picked up by a stranger. "Well, now," Lionel said cheerfully, bouncing her in his arms. "Aren't you the spitting image of a Luthor, my little Olivia." He pulled back to look at her critically, as well as to avoid her curious pulls to his beard. "She seems unnaturally intelligent, Lex, and has your mother's hair. If she's lucky, she'll have your looks. She still has my chin." He laughed. "And a very good chin it is."

Lex shifted uncomfortably. Normally, compliments to Livvie made him beam with pride, but coming from his father, they were harder to swallow than the bitterest medicine. "I think she needs to finish her nap now," he said sullenly, taking Livvie and tucking her back into her crib. "She's been having some temper issues lately. Throwing things and such. It tires her out."

"I wonder where she gets that from," Lionel said wryly. "You were a terror at her age. I nearly broke my ankle every day tripping over the things you scattered through the house. Came that close to buying a cage for you." He snorted at Lex's wrathful look. "It was a very nice cage, too."

"Come on, let's go," Lex said, ushering his father out the door and onto the landing. He took another deep breath. "Thank you for alerting me to this problem and for not taking advantage of it. I appreciate that more than you know. I'll be sure to be more careful in the future."

"You'd do well to, Lex," Lionel replied coolly. "When you were young, the FBI once came to me and told me about a serious kidnapping threat aimed at you. Being federal bureaucrats, the agents assigned to the case were somewhat less than incompetent, but that didn't matter when it came to your would-be kidnappers. Do you know why?"

Lex shook his head. "No, why?"

Lionel's smile sharpened dangerously, his tone chilling. "Because I found them first."

Silence, as understanding passed between father and son. Lionel easily jogged down the stairs with a careless wave. "I'll be talking to you soon, son. And if your stock gets any lower, there might be an outside investment coming down the pike. I've always wanted my own research company, you know."

"Warning taken," Lex replied darkly. He glanced back at the nursery door, angry blood pumping hotly through his veins. 

It wasn't the usual anger he felt after his father's visits, no ... this was something new. Something that made him more sympathetic to his father than he'd ever remembered feeling. Lionel had once told him things would be different for Lex when he was a parent, but Lex hadn't believed him.

Now ... 

Lex flipped open his cell phone. Dialed his assistant and told her to drop off the portable document shredder, as well as start a new portfolio on the network entitled: "Press - Private."

No, he wouldn't need anything else after that, he assured her. He would take things from there.

~*~

After dinner, Lex sat in front of the fire with Livvie on his lap. She played contentedly with her unicorn while he finished shredding the last of the photos along with their negatives. He fed the machine lazily, mulling philosophically while he worked, with occasional whispers against his daughter's hair.

Telling her how much he loved her. Explaining what he was going to do to anyone who wanted to hurt her, illustrating his point with a piece of paper fed to the whirring blades. The shredder spat out a pile of scraps and he kissed Livvie, thinking there wouldn't even be that much left over of anyone who tried to harm his baby. 

She shifted in his arms, looking at him with wide, blue eyes.

"Because the best way to get around who you are," Lex said as the last photograph disappeared. "Is to never forget who I am." Another kiss, and he leaned back so they could both watch the roaring fire burning in the den's fireplace. "No matter what the cost."

He didn't move after that, not even when Livvie unwittingly tossed the unicorn into the fireplace. She watched it burn, curiously, with understanding dawning as the toy disintergrated into ashes, never to return. 

A lesson for the two of us today, Lex thought, smoothing his daughter's hair back from her forehead as she cried.

A harsh lesson learned for both.

~*~

to be continued ...


	7. Artistic License

**SMALL FAVORS VII: Artistic License  
by ingrid**

~*~

Clark entered the basement laboratory warily. It was dim except for the bright light of computer screens and the fiery glow of lit Bunsen burners. Behind the long, cluttered lab table, stood Lex Luthor, examining a beaker full of sky-blue liquid, his plastic face shield slightly streamed over with vapors, looking very much the mad scientist in his secret lair.

It wasn't a particularly comforting sight. Clark swallowed. "Hey, Lex. What's up?"

Still staring at the liquid, Lex pulled the face shield off. "I think I have it now."

"Um, have what? Clark scratched his neck. Places like this always made him antsy. "Listen, I can come back later if ..."

"No, no. Follow me," Lex commanded, carrying the beaker carefully in his right hand, a small washcloth in his left. 

Clark did as ordered, following as Lex set a good pace out of the lab and up the stone stairs, then through the foyer, past the oak doors and into the office, straight to the pool table.

The pool table that looked like it had been attacked by midget graffiti artists.

Black marker was smeared everywhere over the polished wood, in shaky swirls, covering nearly an entire panel and two legs. It had a certain primitive artistry, Clark had to admit, but the decoration didn't do anything for the object it graced. 

In fact, it looked ruined.

"I'm going to kill that kid," Lex sighed. He shook his head, before kneeling in front of the pool table. He soaked the cloth with the blue solution. "I turn around for two seconds and she's not only out of her playpen, not only has gotten hold of a marker I didn't even know I had, but she does _all of this_ to my custom-made, hundred-thousand dollar pool table. I'm telling you, Clark, my compound here better work or I'm mailing her to Timbuktu."

"No you're not," Clark scoffed, wincing as Lex efforts only made things worse, turning black lines into blobs of gray. 

"Damn it," Lex grumbled. He threw the cloth down and placed the beaker on the felt. Turned around and wagged his finger at the far corner of the room where Livvie sat in a large crib, surrounded by high bars with a loose rainbow-colored net secured on top to prevent a subsequent escape. "You are in _so_ much trouble, young lady."

She banged a plastic cup against the bars in response. Loudly.

Clark bit his lip against the laughter bubbling up. "You put her in jail? Oh, Lex."

Lex nodded. "She's the first Luthor to be incarcerated." A weary sigh. "And everyone thought it would be me." He grinned at Clark. "Except for you."

A wave of affection passed between them. Clark reached out and rubbed Lex shoulder, basking in the warmth of his smile. "If I find a way to clean up the pool table does the prisoner get a reprieve?"

"Not only does she get a reprieve, but you also get a date with Dad." Slyly. "And I'm not kidding either."

"Wow," Clark breathed, pretending to consider. "That's quite an offer. Especially since I was going to ask Dad on one." He hesitated, suddenly realizing how forward he sounded. "Or, at least, lunch. Or ... um ..."

"How about you show me this great cleaning secret and then we'll argue over who gets to take whom out, hmmm?" Lex said, looking more beautiful than a man with a jailed baby and a ruined pool table had a right to look.

"Oh," Clark said after a minute, shaking away the dazzle. "Okay. Do you have any of those non-permanent markers, you know, the ones you used on wipe-off boards for meetings?"

Lex thought for a moment. "Yes, I have a whole drawer full of them, actually. Are you saying ..."

"That the stuff in those markers that makes them non-permanent will break down permanent marker ink as well. You just have to trace the bad lines over with the good marker and they'll come right up."

Obviously impressed, Lex gaped. "Of course! Jesus, Clark, do you know how many degrees in chemistry I have and such a simple thing wouldn't have occurred to me in a million years. You're amazing."

"Actually," Clark admitted sheepishly. "That's my Mom's trick. I, uh, used to be "artistic" around the house too."

"Oh, all right," Lex amended, quick to add: "But I still think you're amazing."

A touch of heat filled Clark's cheeks. "So, do I get to take you out for lunch? We can bring the jailbird too. To celebrate her release."

"Wonderful idea," Lex said, lifting the netting from the top of the crib. He handed the baby to Clark. "Give your hero a kiss, honey. You owe him, big time."

Soft tiny lips touched Clark's cheek. Another, different pair of lips touched his other cheek a second later, this kiss landing closer to the edge of his mouth. Happily surprised, Clark looked at Lex in askance.

"That's from the warden," Lex explained, casually, reaching for his and Livvie's jackets. "He just hates running a jail."

~*~

The Talon was practically empty. Lana wiped down an already sparkling counter, giggling threats at Chloe who blew straw coverings at her from the other side, one after the other. 

At the sight of Lex entering, Lana snatched the straws away from Chloe's grasp. "Those cost money," she said, loudly enough so that Lex couldn't miss her saying it. "So, stop it."

Lex turned to Clark, whispering in his ear. "The joys of small business."

Clark was about to respond, when they were overtaken by both Lana and Chloe, who'd spotted Livvie emerging from her overcoat and converged on Lex posthaste. Their squeals echoed through the shop as each shoved the other aside for a better look at the baby.

"She so _cute_," Chloe gushed. "Look at that red hair."

"She's gotten so _big_," Lana rejoined. "Look at those long legs. She's going to be a ballerina!"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Lana, do you know how high the rate of anorexia, bulimia, osteoporosis and arthritis is among ballet dancers? Why not just wish that she gets a safer, less stressful job, like coal mining ... or ... or ..."

"Owning a cafe," Lex interjected, with a meaningful look at the counter where a line of disgruntled patrons was forming.

"Ooops," Lana said quickly, running to take care of them. She yelled back to Chloe. "After I take care of this, ask Lex if we can watch Livvie for a little while."

Chloe stood there uncomfortably for a few seconds before shrugging. "Would you like us to watch her for a little while? I mean, if you feel that we don't have enough experience with toddlers or that you'd rather ..."

"Here, you go," Lex said quickly, popping Livvie into Chloe's arms and slinging the diaper bag over her shoulder. "Take your time. Have fun. No need to ask me if you can change her diapers either. Just go ahead and do it." He patted Chloe's arm solicitously. "I trust you."

"Right," Chloe replied, fumbling between the baby and the bag. She made it over to counter in one piece, not screaming even when Livvie clutched a huge chunk of blond hair in her chubby fist. "Ow," was all she said. "Ow, ow, ow, ow."

Clark sat in the chair, watching all of this and shaking his head. "That was mean, Lex."

Lex sat down beside him and stretched his legs with a content sigh. "One of the great joys of having a beautiful baby is the instant ease with which you can dump them off on others for an hour or two. My father had to pay people triple to watch me."

"I can't imagine why," Clark replied. Feeling daring, he reached for Lex's hand under the table and squeezed his fingers. "I'll bet you were a beautiful baby."

Steel-blue eyes bright, Lex leaned in closely, so close that if Clark moved another inch toward him, they'd be kissing. "So how about it? Are you into this? You and me, and I'm talking about a real date here. No jerking each other around, nothing half-assed. A night we can talk about when we're old and gray. Because I would like that, Clark. I'd like that _very_ much."

Heart pounding, Clark stared at the table. He nodded. "That's what I want too."

"Great," Lex replied joyously. He sat back in his chair, looking utterly content. "Hey, ladies," he called to Chloe and Lana who were playing with Livvie as if she were the best doll in the world. "Two cappuccinos here, and everyone's else's bill ..." He looked around cheerfully. "Is on me this afternoon."

The patrons cheered, and Lex turned to Clark. "I'll pick you up tonight, at eight. And as far as dressing goes, just be yourself."

Clark laughed weakly. "That's not much."

"It's more than I would have ever dreamed of having, even for one date," Lex replied, accepting the cappuccinos and toasting their good fortune, now and in the near future.

~*~

By seven-thirty, Lex was a complete mess. Clothes were strewn throughout his normally immaculate bedroom and for a man that was named "Best Dressed" three years in a row, he was looking decidedly not put-together, tearing off various shirts and jackets, growling at pants that wouldn't fall right and kicking shoes off at an alarming rate.

Livvie watched all this from her perch on the bed, chewing on a teething ring.

"How about this?" Lex asked her, modeling a black polo shirt and knit slacks. "Too dark?" He looked in the mirror and groaned before yanking the shirt off. "Of course it's too dark. I look like an undertaker. A skinny undertaker." Diving into the closet, he groused to himself. "Why are all my clothes various shades of black, Livvie? How come you never said, Dad, how about cutting the morbid out and letting a little sunshine in. I could look good in ... in ..." He pulled out a deeply buried Hawaiian print shirt. He held it up against his chest. "Flocks of parrots?"

A wet teething ring hit him in the back of the neck.

He tossed the shirt aside. "How drunk was I when I bought that, huh? Okay, how about the gray sweater? Think Clark will like gray? Wait ... he likes red. I have something red in here. More of a dark burgundy, but ..."

The cell phone on Lex's hip rang. Annoyed, he flipped it open. "Yes?"

"Um, Lex?" It was Clark. Not sounding very happy. 

"Hey," Lex said softly, his heart falling. Somehow, he could feel what was coming. "What's up? Ready for tonight?"

The sigh over the phone sounded full of regrets. "I'm sorry, Lex. I ... I've been thinking and I don't think this date thing is a good idea."

Sinking down beside the bed, Lex closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the mattress. "Could I at least ask why?"

"It's kind of complicated."

"You told your parents and they forbid it?"

"No. It has nothing to do with my parents. I'm sorry, Lex. But it's ... it's just better this way. Please trust me."

Lex opened his eyes. They were wet and stinging. "No."

"Pardon me?"

"I said, no. I'm not trusting you on this," Lex said vehemently. "In fact, I want a full discussion of this matter ... now. I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Good-bye."

Lex hung up before Clark could reply. Called the nanny upstairs and yanked on the first shirt within reach, which happened to be the Hawaiian one he'd rejected just a moment before. He ran out the door, not caring how he looked.

Five minutes later, Lex on the road to Clark's house, parrots flapping in the cool nighttime breeze.

~*~

The loft was dark and for one terrible minute Lex thought that Clark had taken off, leaving him to find no one there, but a shadow in the corner, by the window proved him wrong.

Clark sat there, head bowed, absently adjusting his telescope. He lifted his head as Lex flicked on the lights, and it was obvious that he'd been ... upset. 

"What's going on, Clark?" Lex asked quietly. "I thought we had agreed to go for it."

"We did," Clark replied hoarsely. "But, when I got home, I started thinking. Not just about you and me, but about ..."

"About?" Lex prompted.

"About Livvie. And ... her future." Clark looked at him beseechingly. "Livvie needs a mother, Lex. Not another dad or some make-believe uncle, but a mother. And I can't be that for her, ever."

His voice trailed off, as Lex stood stunned. This wasn't at all what he'd been expecting to hear. Or have to respond to. Finally ...

"Yes," Lex said slowly. "It would be ideal for Livvie to have a mother. But _her_ mother, Clark. Unfortunately, Livvie's birth mother is no longer with us, so we have to get along as best we can, by living as well and happily as we can. One thing I can tell you right now, Clark, is that I would never marry any woman with the sole intention of garnering a mother for my daughter. That's unfair to everyone involved, wouldn't you say?"

Clark shook his head. "If you were looking, you could find a woman you liked and who could be like a natural mother to Livvie. But if you're with me ..."

"Then I'd already be with someone I liked," Lex replied firmly. "Someone who's proven himself as having the potential to be as good a parent to Livvie as if she were his own. Someone she adores, someone who makes her father happier than he's ever been and you're telling me I'm supposed to give this all up because of a stupid chromosome?" He took a deep breath. "Charles Dickens once wrote that we often make the very common mistake of charging to nature matters of which She has no connection to in regard to the true meaning of parenthood. If Livvie is ever to have a second parent, the only requirement this person needs is the ability to love and be loved. You have that in spades, Clark. I couldn't ask for anything more."

Slowly, a tremulous smile covered Clark's face. "You're very convincing."

"I should hope so," Lex said, reaching out and brushing his finger along Clark's damp cheek. "Because I really, really need you, Clark. Livvie doesn't only deserve you, but she needs you too, especially when Dad can't seem to handle the hard stuff alone." A pause. "My father always believed that genetics were the only true requirement of parenthood, so that's how I know it's not true. If you ever chose someday to be a second parent to Livvie, I don't care what your DNA readout is. I've seen your heart, and that's all I need."

And Lex kissed Clark quickly, because it looked like he was about to cry again and that wasn't how good dates were supposed to start. A breathless moment later, he pulled away, leaning his forehead against Clark's and wondering at the odd stare his chest was getting. 

Lex looked down, and flushed deeply. "Oh. Okay ... I can explain this."

"Parrots, Lex?" Clark asked, his eyes shining, this time with laughter. "You said the dress code was 'be yourself.' So, is this the real you? A crazed tourist wishing he was back in Hawaii?"

Lex pouted. "I was drunk when I purchased it."

"No one gets that drunk."

"I was!"

"Come on," Clark said, tugging on Lex's hand. "Let's go find a luau somewhere. Or at least a photo booth. I want to preserve the evidence."

Lex took his hand. "So, our date is on?" 

Clark smiled, as they emerged from the barn, to stand beneath the Kansas stars, hands clasped tightly. "I think so. If I'm good enough for you two, it's not like I could ask for anything more."

"Nope," Lex replied cheerfully, making a mental note to burn the shirt when he had the chance. "I'd say not."

~*~

tbc ...


	8. A Very Small Christmas

SMALL FAVORS  
A Very Small Christmas

* * *

The relative warmth of the mansion was a welcome relief from the frigid Kansas air, even to an alien for whom warm and cold were optional states of being. 

"Arctic chill" didn't even begin to cover it, Clark thought, shucking off his wool-lined coat and handing it to the Butler of the Week with a sigh. Lex went through help these days like tissues, especially now that Livvie had just learned to crawl.

The floor was never clean enough, the servants were never fawning enough, the butler's shoes were never chewable enough ... nothing was good enough for Her Highness, as Clark liked to call her.

When he pointed out to Lex that Livvie herself wasn't exactly what he'd call fussy, Lex looked mortally offended. "She's my daughter. Her standards are in her genes. Just because she can't express them yet doesn't mean she doesn't have them. That's why it's up to me to uphold them for her."

Sadly for Lex it was at that very moment Livvie's diaper gave up the ghost, leaving a large, round, frightening spot on the carpet.

Of course, according to Lex, scooping her up with a disgruntled expression, it was the carpet's fault. "Tear it up, then tell the manufacture that it irritated my daughter's delicate sensibilities," he ordered his personal assistant, a harried woman who Clark knew to have three children of her own. "I'll be expecting a complimentary replacement immediately."

"First time parents," she grumbled under her breath, so low only super-hearing would notice. "Jesus..."

Trying to get Lex to relax as far as Livvie was concerned was a losing battle, one Clark decided not to fight anymore. Besides, it was way too funny watching Lex twist everything in heaven and earth toward an eight-month-old's favor.

Funny as in, scary equals funny.

Except for this week. Christmas was just days away and Clark's amusement had recently turned into fear. Fear of what stops Lex would pull out for Livvie on her first Christmas, God help them all.

There was a real possibility of elephants tearing down the town (Clark remembered well Livvie's six-month "birthday" party and the entire circus Lex hired for the event), so he felt it his duty to quell Lex's extravagant impulses, at much as he possibly could for the good of all of Smallville.

It was now or never, he thought. Clark took a deep breath before entering the office. He would need all his charm to persuade Lex not to truck in six feet of fake snow to cover all of Kansas, buy a herd of reindeer and kidnap three different stout men with white beards for Christmas morning, forget what he was planning to do for the rest of the day.

"Hey," he said, smiling at Lex, who sat at his desk, typing furiously on his laptop. "Is your shopping done?"

Lex hit the "enter" button with a flourish. "Now it is. How are you, Clark? Ready for Christmas?"

"Yeah. Got my Mom her scarf and my Dad his gloves and uh, Livvie something too. You know, Lex, it's really the thought that counts so I feel there's never any need to go too crazy. A little something is always best. Take Livvie for example ... she probably doesn't even know what Christmas is yet."

Lex stared at him as if he'd sprouted antlers. "Are you saying my daughter can't comprehend abstract events? Because you're wrong there, Clark. She's quite animated at the notion of Christmas. All I had to do was show her the tree and she became very vocal."

Clark bit his lip, keeping to himself the well-known fact that most babies went nuts at giant displays of flashing lights and shiny round things. "I'm just saying, Lex, that sometimes, you know, small gifts are the best ones. You know ... great things come in little packages. Like Livvie herself."

There. A little diaper-kissing couldn't hurt.

Lex didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he took it as Livvie's proper due. "Well, whatever. I have Livvie's gift all ready to go. It's a revolutionary sort of gift, if I say so myself."

Oh great, Clark thought with an inward moan -- he was too late. Revolutions had cannons and explosions and people running for their lives. God only knew what Lex could possibly have concocted for this monumental event.

They were doomed!

It was going to be a Very Scary Christmas. "Well, okay. I'm ... I'm sure she'll love it. But," said Clark, trying one last ditch effort. "I'll bet it'll make my gift look pretty cheesy in comparison. She'll probably throw it back at me."

Lex smiled warmly at him. "I know for a fact she'll adore anything her Clark gives to her for Christmas. I'm telling you, she's very expressive when she wants to be. And I know she loves you more than ... cookies," Lex said, looking pleased at his choice of euphemism. "Lots more. So, will you come by on Christmas Day? We can't wait to see you."

"Yeah, I'll be here," Clark said, thinking dismally that if he missed it, the resulting loss of property and lives would probably weigh on him forever. "But think about what I said, okay?"

"Sure," said Lex turning back to his laptop. His face lit up. "Say, EBay has an old mansion in New Orleans for sale. That would be a fun doll house, wouldn't it? Maybe for her birthday ..."

Clark slumped out of the office and back into the cold, praying.

Help us all, Baby Jesus. Please.

* * *

Christmas afternoon was one of those rare days during the Smallville winter that the sun shone through the cold and glittered off of freshly fallen snow, much to the delight of everyone, especially Clark Kent who was more than a little relieved Lex didn't have the need to export any UV rays or frozen slush of his own. 

He entered the mansion tentatively and was heartened to smell the inviting scent of cookies baking. There were no elephants adorned in tinsel, no fat old men in red suits tied to a chair, no piles of reindeer poop, just a quiet, homey sort of feeling permeating the entire house.

So far, so good, Clark thought, peeking into the office. It was empty.

Surprised, he peered around, until a large piece of gold-edged paper laying on Lex's desk caught his eye. Uh-oh, he thought, sneaking closer for a peek and Clark winced to see the extravagant lavender calligraphy.

Oh, no. Lex bought Livvie her own continent or maybe a share of space on Mars or maybe the entire planet or ...

He had to read it. He had no choice. Quickly scanning, he read:

_Dearest Olivia,_

_This Christmas as your gift, I promise you, my adored daughter, to make every effort to spend all Christmas Days hereafter in your beloved company, to share until the day you no longer wish to._

_Love always,Your father,  
Lex_

Clark's eyes grew wide, then prickled with wet warmth. He quickly put the letter back down on the desk and hightailed it out of the office.

Sounds were coming from the entertainment room and Clark popped his head in. On the couch sat Lex, with Livvie on his lap watching the big-screen television together. A giant stack of DVDs were on the coffee table, all of them Christmas-themed cartoons.

Not Lex's usual fare, but Clark had a feeling those movies weren't there for him.

They were a present, a present from a father to his daughter, the gift of love and attention he'd probably never know himself as a child, if Clark had to guess what Lionel was like at Christmastime.

It was the iperfect/i gift.

Hearing Clark enter, Lex glanced up at him. "Merry Christmas!" He turned the baby toward the door and waved her little hand. "It's Santa Clark, honey. Bringing us prezzies."

Clark felt the poorly wrapped package in his coat pocket and blushed. "I got one for Livvie. I'll have to give you yours later. I was thinking a pizza night after New Year's or maybe something else, just us two."

"Sounds awesome," Lex grinned, with a meaningful wink that made Clark blush. He nodded toward the screen. "Rudolph is about to start. Join us? Ms. Hannigan is bringing the cookies any minute, or so she promised."

"Sounds great," Clark said, settling in besides them both. He leaned down to kiss Livvie on her forehead, noticing the little green sprig of something she wore as a headpiece. "What's this?"

"Mistletoe," Lex replied and leaned in to kiss him, the touch of his lips warming Clark straight down to his toes. It was just a little kiss, but as Clark noted, the very best gifts?

They were the small ones ... by far.

* * *

Happy Holidays! 


	9. Soul Archeology

**Soul Archeology  
A Future Small Favors Tale  
by ingrid**

0o0o0o

When Lex turned forty-nine, he greeted the day with the same casual humor and feigned annoyance he treated all his birthdays. He didn't want a party, he _insisted_ that gifts were a waste and everyone assuredly knew that Lex Luthor, a man who cared about his arteries didn't eat -- ugh -- cake.

It was no surprise either when Clark and Livvie and a dozen friends they'd dug out from somewhere popped out from behind the penthouse sofa and presented him with all of the above.

_Especially_ cake, as Livvie was fond of chocolate cheesecake, with extra whipped cream. She'd made it herself, from scratch, which guaranteed her father would be downing giant mouthfuls of it, one after the other.

Lex wanted to be irritated, he wanted to complain, but with Clark smiling gently at him from across the room and his beautiful, all-grown-up daughter flitting from one guest to the other, filling their plates with yet more homemade cake, he really couldn't gather up the proper amount of ire to throw a full-blown grump.

That was until Livvie asked for quiet to make an announcement.

"I know this is Daddy's birthday, but if it's all right with him, I also have some news I'd like to share with all of you, while you're all in one room," she said, with a glance at her father.

"Of course, sweetheart, go right ahead," Lex said quickly, noting with increasing dismay that she had pulled her long-time boyfriend, Joshua Something-Or-Other -- all right -- i Doctor /i Joshua Something-Or-Other, archeology fellow at Midwestern -- to stand next to her while she made her announcement.

He also noted that Clark had moved behind him and was holding onto his shoulder with a strong, Superman'ish grip, which could only mean ...

Livvie flushed, her normally pale cheeks turning rosy. "Joshua and I are getting married."

A happy murmur turned into a low cheer from the guests and Lex was quite sure cake was going to spew out his ears, because his head? His head was going to explode -- messily.

The hand on his shoulder tightened incrementally. Lex's smile broadened with each squeeze until he looked like a Cheshire cat. "How wonderful!" he squeaked. Vainly, he tried to clear his throat. "That's ... that's ... so wonderful!"

Livvie ran over and captured both of Lex's hands in hers, looking so lovely and happy, that Lex rather forgot about tossing her fiancee down the penthouse elevator shaft. Instead, he accepted the man's trembling handshake with only a slight glare of warning.

Which was all right, because Joshua was a good man. And while he wasn't rich or famous (which were never pluses in Lex's mind anyway), Livvie loved him thoroughly, which was enough for Lex.

Sort of. Mostly. Maybe.

"I'm proud of you," Clark whispered in his ear, after Livvie went off to talk to the other guests and show off her -- horribly small, Lex noted with a grimace -- engagement ring. "You took that very well."

"Do you think they'd mind if I upgraded that ring?" Lex asked, following Livvie's hand around with narrow eyes. "It's barely a speck. I know he's a teacher, but still ..."

Clark sighed. "I take it back." He rubbed Lex's shoulder. "We'll talk later."

But no amount of talking could stave off the day when Miss Olivia Hope Luthor -- his precious, sweet, i baby /i -- became Mrs. Joshua Whoever-He-Was -- and Lex spent the day smiling above a stiff tuxedo collar, between trips to the bathroom where he locked himself in a stall and gave free reign to what he insisted were allergy attacks, the kind that left a perfectly well man with red, wet eyes and a runny, sniffly nose.

True to his nature, Clark was a tower of strength, even if he had a couple of allergy attacks of his own during the ceremony.

They hadn't let Lex exchange the ring for something larger, nor pay for an extravagant wedding. It was simple and elegant and over very quickly, leaving Lex to stand forlornly in the middle of the road, waving goodbye to a "Just Married" sign and a string of rattling tin cans.

He kept waving long after they were out of sight until Clark gently steered him back to the reception hall, letting Lex toss back scotch to his heart's content before carrying him home.

It had been, in some ways, the best and worst, forty-ninth year of any man's life, Lex thought blurrily as Clark tucked him beneath the sheets.

"Here's to fifty," Lex toasted from the bed, raising an invisible glass to the wall. He hicoughed once and passed out, dreaming about holding a tiny baby with red hair, a baby that would never, ever grow up.

0o0o0o

Time marched on and twelve months later, Lex's birthday rolled around again, this time a landmark one -- his fiftieth.

And for the first time, he made it spectacularly clear that he wanted i no /i party, just a dinner with his family. Shockingly, they complied and Livvie served dinner in her new home, with all the fluttering and panic of a nervous hostess.

Plates crashed on the kitchen floor, screams echoed as the roast burned to a smoky crisp and pizza ended up being ordered last minute, which was fine with Lex. It was all very pleasant, with Joshua telling tales of his trips to Cairo, showing off some finds he'd been examining and wondering with Clark about the mysterious grant money that kept finding its way into his pockets, through some anonymous source.

"They must be quite the lover of antiquities," Joshua said to Clark. "But they never ask for any findings."

"Yes, it's rather odd," Clark said, with a meaningful glance at Lex, who pretended he hadn't a clue what they were talking about.

Instead, he chewed on his pizza, sitting contently with his daughter, who, for some reason, looked lovelier than ever that night. In fact ... she was glowing.

"Daddy ... Papa," she said, when things had quieted down, "Joshua and I have news for you."

Uh-oh. The pizza churned in Lex's stomach, especially when a glance at Clark confirmed that he didn't have a clue what i this /i news could be.

Livvie took her husband's hand. Her smile was radiant. "We're having a baby."

A baby. His baby was having a baby. She was having a baby because that i man /i had ... had ...

If his life had depended on it, Lex couldn't help the i "What did you DO to my daughter?" /i glare he bestowed on Livvie's husband, who blanched beneath his scrutiny.

Yes, they were married. And yes, married people did things that fathers never, ever, EVER wanted to be confronted with when thinking about their daughters.

It was very possible Clark was thinking the very same thing, although he hid it beneath a series of very fake coughs. "Well, that's ... that's ..."

"That's wonderful, dear," Lex muttered, wishing he'd done something radical long ago, before this ... this ... whoever he was ... had done this awful thing to his innocent little girl.

Livvie began to blink rapidly. "You're not happy?" she asked, her inflection rising in hormonal increments. "Daddy? Papa?"

"Of course, we're happy for you, sweetheart," Lex said, in what he hoped was a soothing voice. It came out as a strangled croak. "So very happy."

"You don't sound happy," she wailed and ran off crying.

From the back of the house, a bedroom door slammed. "She's rather emotional these days," her husband said apologetically before running after her. "Sweetheart ..."

Guilt hit Lex like a freight train, draining all his anger away. "Honey! I'm sorry, angel," he cried, preparing to run after her as well but that familiar hand on his arm held him back.

"We have to go," Clark said, in that voice that brooked no denial. "Come on."

"But ... but ..."

"No buts. We'll make it up to her later."

Nauseous, Lex gathered his coat and glanced back at the empty table where a few moments before, he'd been the happiest fifty-year-old on earth.

Now, he was just a miserable middle-aged man with a pregnant daughter who probably hated his guts.

Shoulders slumped, he let Clark lead him to the limo, where they sat in heavy silence all the way home. "We're terrible fathers," Lex said, when the car came to a stop in front of their building. "No, I take that back. I'm a terrible father. You're a great father. I'm a bad father and I'm going to be a terrible grandfather too."

"That's nonsense, Lex. Besides, I wasn't the model of good fatherhood myself back there," Clark sighed. He tossed off his fake glasses and rubbed his eyes. "So, what do you think she'll have? A boy or a girl?"

"Does it matter? She's never going to speak to me again. I'll probably have to hire a private eye to get a picture of the baby."

"She'll speak to us again. We all just need a little time to adjust."

But Lex knew he was never going to adjust. He felt old and creaky and impossibly out-of-touch with the world at-large, especially his own family. Even Clark's eternally youthful alien features suddenly took on an ominous meaning as in the back of Lex's mind a ticking clock began its mortal countdown.

Lex groaned. Mid-life crisis, here we come. And he was going to be a grandfather to boot.

A grandfather.

God help them all.

0o0o0o

As Clark predicted, Livvie spoke to them again after a couple of days and a pow-wow with Lois. She accepted Lex's humble apologies with much grace, saying: "That's okay. Aunt Lois explained everything to me."

"She did?"

"Yep. She said that men are idiots."

Lex sighed deeply. "Thank your Aunt Lois, especially for me, will you?"

"Sure," Livvie said cheerfully. She looked toward the penthouse kitchen with a hungry eye. "Got anything to eat in this joint?"

She was already digging through the mostly-empty refrigerator before Lex could reply. Knowingly, he called the local restaurant and ordered her favorite dish, times two.

Livvie emerged from the kitchen, holding a limp carrot. "Daddy ..."

"I already took care of it," he replied, moving to the couch. He patted it. "Sit down and let's see this baby."

Livvie laughed, easing herself down and showing off a gently rounded tummy. "Not much to see yet. I'm only fifteen weeks. It's going so slowly too. I want to have the baby ... now."

"It goes by faster than you think, angel. Enjoy it while it lasts," Lex replied, putting a hand over her belly. Warm skin and then ... the slightest of squirms from beneath.

There was life there, life that could be held in the palm of his hand. Lex stared in awe. "Did ... did you feel ..."

"Yes. I did. " Livvie smiled gently at him. "Baby's saying: Hi, grandpa. I love you."

Suddenly, grand-fatherhood didn't seem like the end of the world. In fact, it seemed like a beginning of the most wonderful kind.

"Now where is that food?" Livvie asked, with an impatient glance at the penthouse door. "Don't they know we're hungry? Call them again, Daddy. Pleaaase?"

0o0o0o

The call about Livvie's labor came at two a.m, exactly twenty five weeks later. Lex had stopped counting time in months, along with everyone else and when Clark arrived, still dressed as Superman, there wasn't much else to do except run in circles and yell, tripping over tangled clothing that refused to be yanked over moving legs.

Normally, Clark would be the sane one in this situation, but he took off twice without Lex, banging into a couple of buildings on the turnaround.

Panting hard, Lex grabbed him by the shoulders before he could take off again. "Stop. Let's breathe and calm down."

Wide-eyed, Clark nodded. "I'm breathing," he repeated, gasping.

"Calming down."

"I'm calming down."

This was all going very well until Lex's cell phone rang, with an hysterical Joshua on the other end. "The baby's head is crowning!" he shrieked into the phone. "You gotta get here!"

The breathing and calming down business went straight out the window, along with a flying Clark and a half-dressed Lex, who could have cared less that his shirt was bunched up around his neck and his purple silk pajama pants weren't exactly considered outside wear by most people.

It took another desperate struggle to un-Superman Clark behind a dumpster in the hospital parking lot. Lex waited, only because he loved him and together they raced up to Maternity, where a blissfully shocked Joshua waited to greet them.

"It's a boy," he said dreamily, looking like a man who'd been hit in the head and was loving every second of it. "We have a son."

"A boy," Lex repeated dumbly, feeling a sudden need to sit down, on the floor if need be. Luckily, there was a chair waiting to catch him. "We have a grandson, Clark," he said, looking up at his partner, who seemed as though all his powers had abandoned him as he could only nod in reply.

"He looks like you," Joshua said to Lex, smiling, as if that were something to be happy about and Lex decided that God had given him the best son-in-law he could have ever dreamed of having. "His eyes are slate blue and his hair's bright red."

Lex laughed weakly. "I thought you were going to say he's bald."

Joshua laughed back. Clark joined in and passing nurses didn't blink at the three semi-hysterical men, laughing their heads off at one very weak joke.

"Can we see him?" Lex asked finally, wiping his eyes.

"Yeah. Come on," Joshua said, leading them down the hallway to the glass-walled nursery. He pointed to the near corner. "There. There he is. See how good he is? He's not even crying."

Lex clutched at the railing, his forehead pressed to the cool glass. Everything around him was blurry, except for the tightly wrapped bundle sleeping quietly in a plastic bassinet.

Red hair, yes ... red hair and Livvie's face, along with a bit of Livvie's late mother, from what Lex could remember of her. The baby had his father's ears and there was something familiar about his jaw.

Very familiar. Lex touched his own jaw and held back the tears with great effort.

In front of him lay his family's future, with the past embedded as deeply as any antiquity dug from the shifting sands. A being greater than the sum of its parts, his little girl's baby, her life to have and hold and love for the rest of her days.

And from that child, God willing, would come more children and Lex's soul would be written on their faces, all of them, in some small way.

He closed his eyes, feeling Clark's arms wind around his waist. "He's beautiful. Perfect," Clark whispered. "We are pretty damned lucky, don't you think?"

"Pretty damned lucky," Lex said, reaching out and grasping his son-in-law's -- Dr. Joshua Friedman's -- hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

The return squeeze was like a circle completed.

0o0o0o

As fate would have it, the baby's birthday fell close enough to Lex's for them to celebrate it together.

Not that Lex thought much about his birthday anymore, good or bad. He was a busy man, feeding his grandson, watching the mushed food disappear bite by bite, not paying attention to the chaos surrounding them -- a hired clown, garish decorations and a cake shaped like someone named "Dora."

Pureed green beans spotted his pants. His carpet was covered in crushed Cheerios. There was a diaper with questionable contents in his kitchen garbage.

Lex was a happy man.

No longer did he dream about holding a tiny baby with red hair, a baby that would never, ever grow up. He merely held his family and grandson close so they could watch the seasons pass.

Together.

0o0o0o


End file.
